A Better Place : Part 2 - The Lycus Case
by ytodd
Summary: Relationships formed, romances and friendships blossomed. But a new threat is looming on Zootopia. How will our favorite mammals face it ? Will they survive it ? Direct sequel to part 1, things could get hard to follow without having reading it, but it's still doable. Bulk of A Better Place's story. The story is now complete.
1. And the World Went Dark

_**Disclaimer :** This is a follow up to Tales of a Post Movie Zootopia Part 1. I highly suggest your read it before getting into this story._

 _Contrary to the precedent part, this one will be less heavy in fluff, and more... Well you will see._

 _I want to thank again the readers and reviewers of Part 1, and wish you to enjoy the reading._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1** : And the World Went Dark_

 _Friday the 18th of January 2019_

The loud and deep voice of the buffalo broke the relative silence of the bullpen.  
"Assignments : Officers Blackfur, Wolford, Snarlov, Rhinowitz, Hopps, Wilde, patrol duty. Fangmeyer, Clawfith, Swat support, report to Tundratown's precinct in thirty."The agents left their seat one after the other, but as the bunny and fox were leaving, the chief halted them. "Wilde, Hopps, I want to see you in my office before heading out."

They looked at eachother, Being called in the chief's office was usually a bad omen.

The buffalo was writing and sorting papers on his desk when the two friends knocked.

"Get in."

They went and hopped on the chair, facing their boss.

"So." He began "how are you two doing ?"

It took them by surprise, this type of question was unusual for him.

"Good I guess ?" answered the fox, unsure.

"You guess ? I'm giving you a week of vacation followed by a week of calm parking duty and you 'guess' you're okay ? I'm asking if your were able to sort out everything that was on your mind, every pending business." They could see the creeping of a smile under the buffalo's stern question. He glanced at both mammals but he was mainly adressing Nick.

"Oh, that. Yeah, everything's good and taken care of. I didn't know your cared." Nick's tone was taunting.

"I don't. The city doesn't deserve less than your one hundred percent." He watched them with an inquisitive eye. The creeping smile was still there. "Is there anything I need to know ?"

 _What kind of question is this ? Does he know ?_

"Nope, everything's good. Nothing unusual to report." Nick's mask of confidence was on.

 _Appart from your bunny and fox officers being together._

"Then dismissed."

...

They were driving around keeping an eye on the civilians when Nick spoke.

"You think the chief's onto us ?"

"Maybe, I don't know. Ben tells me that there is nothing going in the precinct that he doesn't end up knowing about."

"So we can be sure he will end up in on the matter. How do you think he'll react ?"

"As long as it doesn't affect our actions on the field, he won't care." she answered imitating the buffalo's tone making them both chuckle.

They had stopped to a bug-burga drive-through when a voice called on the radio.

"Precinct one to all units near Downtown East-Mall center, we have reports of a 10-71, with 211 in a jewellery in said mall. Sending exact coordinates to your GPS. Investigate and apprehend the culprits."

The voice of Wolford was heard in the radio.

"Patrol 1123, Wolford speaking. We heard the gunshots, we're closing in on the destination but may need other officers for crowd control."  
Judy grabbed the radio.

"Patrol 1825, Hopps speaking. We're two minutes away, back-up on its way."

"Patrol 1258, Snarlov speaking, We're 8 minutes away, shoud we assist too ?"

"Positive 1258" answered the cheetah "be safe and good luck."

The sirens began screaming. Nick sent his car at full speed down the street, civilian's car pulling over to let him through. His car skidded in the first corner, as he used both pedal and handbrake to control the trajectory. Judy had never been in a car driven like this before, it reminded her that there was a lot about the fox she didn't know. They pulled over next to the first police car, parked in front of the mall. Civilian's were running away from the scene which was a good thing but kept the officer from seeing what was happenning. They jumped out and heard gunshots again.

"Here's patrol 1825, 1123, what's your status ?"

"Here's 1123, The culprits are hauled up in the jewellery. No hostages but with the store configuration, we can't enter without being shot at. We'll need a SWAT team."

"10-4" came the voice of clawhauser in both their radio. "Sending a call for a SWAT team, 1123 stay put and try to negotiate their surrender. 1825 you stay on crowd control."

Just as the cheetah stopped talking, Nick and Judy heard a loud screeching sound, made a by a vehicle close to their own car. They glanced at it believing that patrol 1258 had arrived but it was a huge black van with tinted glass, its rear doors flying open as it stopped.

 _The SWAT this quick ?_

A pair of mammal climbed down. Or more accurately stumbled down, as if someone had pushed them out. A grizzly bear and a sheep. They looked like hobos, their gazes were empty and in their paws, the two officers recognized automatic weapons. The Grizzli's rifle was so big than only one bullet would be enough to rip out any of the two officers limb.

 _What the hell ?_

They both took their paws to their gun, the other paw in a halting gesture.

"ZPD, put down your weapon and put you hands behind your head !"

The scene slowed down. Nick saw the barrel of the mammal facing him and her partner rising, their eyes and ears twitching and paws slightly shaking. Slowly, the grizzly bared his teeth, snarling, and the sheep bleated an aggressive cry.

The van began moving again, leaving the scene. None of the two officers had had the time to take out their gun. The most logical course of action would be to take shelter behind cover, but they'd have to jump the car's hood which would have them lose some precious split seconds.

Judy's eyes were wide open, she had already started moving, lunging at Nick to take him out of the bullet's way. Her paws caught his collar, and a second later, her powerful legs had sent them flying above the car hood while a rain of bullet ripped the concrete and punched holes in the cruiser's door.

Screams of panick filled the air and the civilians began fleeing from the scene.

He could feel the flail of bullet pierce the air around them as they started to fall on the other side. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh and saw drops of blood flying in his field of vision.

They crashed on the other side of the car, behind cover. The pain in his thigh was awfully present, but he didn't care, immediately tending to his mate that had crashed on the floor next to him.

Her eyes were wide open, pointed to the sky, she seemed okay but something was off. She was shaken by a first spasm of pain.  
He took a step back and the vision almost made him go insane. Were had been her left leg was now a blood dripping stump.

"No !"

Her paw reached his arm, squeezing it.

"Nick" her voice was nothing but pain and fear. Nick was frozen in place, unable to make a move. She immediately took out her belt, using it as a tourniquet to contain the flow of blood that was escaping her body.

"Nick, help me."

Her voice took him back from the haze his mind had fell into.

He tightened it as hard ad his muscles permitted. The bunny let escape a loud gasp of pain. Nick was frantic.

"I know, Judy I know. You're alright !" He couldn't put on the reassuring mask he was trying to muster. Every protective instinct he had were in full alert. "You're going to be alright I promise." Tears had begun to drip from his eyes, as he saw her eyes slowly close. He slapped her.

"No ! Don't you dare die on me. Don't you dare ! I can't lose you !"

Bullets were still flying around the cop car, digging gash in the hull and the curb. Cement and metal part were flying around but he couldn't see them.

"I'll just n-nap for a b-bit."

"You stay awake. Stay awake ten seconds more."

Ignoring the pain in his leg, he opened the door and quickly found the first-aid kit.

 _Please be there, please be there._

He took out a large siringe and went back to his mate.

"You listen to me Judy, you better stay awake or I swear on my father's grave I'll stick this in your heart and wake you back up." He said with a broken joking smile. But he wasn't joking. He didn't know if the bunny's heart would be able to take it, but he wouldn't hesitate.

She gave him the most painful smile he had ever seen.

"I'm cold Nick."

He secured the tourniquet again, the blood had almost stopped dripping. He took out his police coat and wrapped her in it. "Stay still, and stay awake." He took out his own radio. "Here's 1825, 11-99 send back up and an ambulance. Automatic weapons. Two culprits with automatic weapons. Officer Hopps has been shot. I repeat, officer Hopps had been shot. We need and ambulance right fucking now !"

"Precinct One speaking. I'm calling for an ambulance. Hold on ten minutes more."

"We don't have ten fucking minutes !"

"Here's 1258, we're four minutes away. Hang on 1825."  
Nick looked under the car. The attackers had moved and were walking around it, the sheep ahead of the bear. Nick couldn't leave Judy here but couldn't move her either. They didn't have four minutes.

 _Fuck ! Fuck !_

"Put down your weapons !" he screamed taking out his gun. He felt a movement, Judy had taken out her own gun and was trying to aim it in the direction of the two coming mammals with shaking arms.

"G-go behind cover."

His protective instinct washed his mind. And there was something else. Something dangerous. Something he instantly hated.

He took the weapon from her paws. "I have a plan." he said, winking at her.

 _Okay. It's like training. Shoot the center of mass._

"Here's 1258. Two minutes."

"We don't have two minutes." Nick's voice was calm, firm, and devoid of any emotion.

The plan was slowly taking form in his mind. It was more a gamble than a plan, but that was all he had. He checked Judy a last time, she was looking at him, and he could see her struggling to stay conscious. He took a gun in each paw, putting his left perpendiculary under his right to ensure stability. He would use each weapon after the other, saving the time of one reloading process.

The fox moved away from Judy, trying to minimize the risk of her getting shot in the firefight that was about to ensue. He planted one of his knees in the ground, just as the sheep emerged from behind the police cruiser.

The officer shot two time, right in the center of the sheep's chest, sending him stumble backward and dropping his gun. One down, one to go.  
His mind was cold, calculating, in a place he hated it to be.

He saw the grizzly emerge in turn, beginning to aim at him. The two first bullets hit the bear right in the chest, but it was only six millimetter ammo, only a flesh wound to the huge mammal. Slightly taken aback by the pain, he had to take time to aim a second time, leaving time for Nick to raise his own weapon and emptying the remaining 6 bullets in direction of the bear's face.

Just as the bullet hit him, the attacker began firing, the pain and recoil throwing off his aim, buying Nick enough time to switch gun and fire again. The vulpine felt a sharp pain in his ribs but barely flinched, emptying the second gun again in the bear's face. He saw fur ripping, teeth flying and heard the nauseating sound of flesh bursted appart by metal, between the screams of the gunshots.

The bear let escape the rifle, screaming while taking his face in his paws, Nick could see one of his bullet had caught him in the eye, turning it into a pool of blood. The ursine staggered for a few second before slumping to the ground with a loud thump.

The fox let go of the two guns and tried to run to his bunny, but the pain in his ribs and leg was too intense and he fell.

 _Fuck ! Think, think Nick !_

He had to get to her. He couldn't leave her hurt and alone. She was looking at him, despair in her eyes, shivering in cold and fear. He took out a syringe from a clip of his tranq-gun, and used it too drip some of the tranquilizer on his wounds. There was only a gash on his thigh, luckily the bullet had only grazed him. The ribs had suffered more, at least two were broken but the bullet had bounced off on them, partly thanks to the bulletproof vest. As he sprayed the liquid, he began crawling toward Judy, leaving traces of blood behind him.

The pain slowly receided, and he was able to reach her, putting her head in his lap.

"Everything's alright, we're alright. The fox caught the bad guys."

He hoped she had seen nothing of it, but she had stayed awake throughout the bullet exchange.

"You sure d-did." she gave him a small smile.

He heard the screeching of tires near the bullet-ridden cruiser.

 _Another van ?_

The guns he had let escape when going back to his mate were out of his reach, he took out his tranq-gun and aimed in the direction from where the footsteps were coming.

"Civilian down" called a voice. "Guns, those were the culprits."

Nick put down the tranq-gun. He had recognized Snarlov's voice. The siren's he wasn't hearing suddenly came to the foreground.

"Guys we're here ! Judy ? Back-up's here, everything's alright."

"It's not alright. B-bad liar. You always call me J-Judy when it's not alright." Her voice was feeble, only a whisper.

The bear officer kneeled near Nick.

"Oh my god, Judy." He stared at her for few second. Blood was still dripping from her leg, but it was only a few drop. The vulpine had done a great job with the tourniquet. The ursine's eyes went back to the fox. "Nick, we must tend to your wounds."

"Not moving from here." The voice was firm, almost aggressive.

Snarlov stood back up and went to the first aid kit that Nick had spilled while looking for the adrenalin siringe. In the meantime, Rhinowitz was checking the attacker, taking away their weapon.

"Dead sheep. But the bear is still alive. How many bullet did you put in him Nick ?"

"I'd say at least fifteen. He wouldn't fall."

The realisation of what he had done slowly dawned on him. He had used lethal force against other mammals, and he didn't even hesitate. It was the strength of the bond. Would Judy not have been in danger, he was sure he wouldn't have been able to press the trigger. And he couldn't decide if it was a good thing or not.  
The white bear went back to the fox with antiseptic and bandage.

"You may want to bite into something, and let go of her."

"Go ahead, I won't move."

The bear shrugged an ripped Nick's pant leg with a swiss-army-knife, putting antiseptic and tight bandage around it. As he had promised the fox didn't flinch.

"Okay, I'm impressed."

Nick took off his torn bullet-proof jacket and shirt. The bullet had been caught inside the jacket. Once again it was only a gash. A few centimetter to the right and Nick's thoracic cage would've bursted open. He let the bear do his task. No flinch either.

"Nick, what the fuck ?"

"I put tranquilizer on my wound to dampen the pain and be able to move."

Snarlov eyes shot open "You're completely crazy." he looked down at Judy, but he really didn't want to see her stump. "I don't think I should touch this." At same moment, Rhinowitz arrived, his coat in a bundle, dripping of blood.

"What's this Rhinowitz ?" asked Nick.

"It's Judy's-" he said pointing at the stump. Nick winced, he didn't want to think about it.

They heard ambulance sirens coming from down the street. The bunny was still conscious but she wasn't speaking. The fox felt her paw becoming gradually limp on his arm.

"Judy ?"

"I'm cold- I'm."

"Don't talk, the ambulance is here, keep your strengths."

"I mus- In cas- " she struggled to find his breathe, Nick fought back the rush of panic. "I l-love you." He squeazed her paw in a reassuring manner. "I love you too." He saw her eyelids slowly close.

"Judy ? Don't do this to me."

Her paw went limp in his.

"P-please, don't do this- No-!"

He shook her gently but she didn't react.

"No ! Wake up, please Judy. JUDY !"

He didn't feel the tears dripping from his eyes, nor the scream of despair that came out of his throat. Paws were restraining him as he fought back, while the paramedics put his mate on a stretcher. He tried to claw his way to the bunny, snarling, biting, but he wasn't strong enough, his wounds holding him back.

He felt a slight sting in his neck.

And the world went dark.


	2. He Could Only Hear Silence

_Bear with me._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2 :** He Could Hear Only Silence_

 _? of January 2019_

The red furred fox got up from his bed. He wasn't hungry but he had to ingurgitate something at least. The coffee tasted bland.

Everything tasted bland.

The world was bathed in grey bland light.

He put on his clothes, black trousers, white shirt, black vest, green tie with floral hawaiian pattern. The one she had offered him at pawsmas.  
With a sigh, he made his way down, the war was waiting for him in front of his building. A large limousine with tinted windows. He got in and saluted Fru Fru, Mr Big and Koslov. The car was driven by Manchas.

The deafening silence couldn't be broken, he could see each of the wanted to give him word of comfort but even if they did, nothing could have come through.  
The car had finally stopped at its destination and all th mammals got out, the two shrews in Koslov's paws.

They were the first here, but more and more car parked themselves in the parking lot. Clawhauser, Wolford and MacHorn arrived at the same time, coming out from the same car. They greeted eachothers silently. Blackfur was here, she wasn't alone, a kid was with her, but he didn't recognise her. Next, Fangmeyer, Delgato, Snarlov and Rhinowitz came and the mammals started mingling but the voice couldn't reach the fox's ears.

He was lost in a thick haze. A myst-like labyrinth. He wanted to cry and scream but his whole body felt numb.

The whole precinct was here now, but not only. Other officers he didn't know, thousands of mammals from everywhere in the city. Each and every one she had touched by her presence.

The last ones to arrive were her family in several buses.

They got down, all wearing black.

The hearse finally appeared, rolling slowly down the street, making a turn and going through the gates, rolling up the slight slope of the gravel path.  
The tires on the pebbles wear the only noise he could hear as him, like every other mammal present, started to follow behind it.

The short walk seemed like hours, his legs were so heavy, taking him to a place he didn't want to be. Where he'd have to accept the inacceptable. A hoof appeared on his shoulder and lifted his gaze. The chief's frown wan't the usual one, this one was full of a hidden sadness. The buffalo gave him a little push and Nick continued walking.

The coffin was resting on planks above the hole. The mammals that had been the most close to her were on the first row, but the whole cemetery was full of mammals. Still, the silence was deafening, no one talked, not even a squeak.

Faces of sadness, tears, they made a large circle around this little box. The rain started to pour, like in every movie, in every book, in every story. There couldn't be any burial without the rain.

But still, he could hear only silence.

Suddenly the silence was pierced. First he thought it was her voice. He almost smiled, he almost had his hope back.

Bonnie Hopps was in the center of the circle formed by the mammals, next to her daughter coffin.

"Thank you. Thank you all for coming."

"I am truly touched, that you all came. I'm sure she would be glad to see us all together."

"Those pas few days, many mammals have showed us their supports. Mammals we didn't even know, mammals she didn't even know. They were with us, they cried with us. And I think it's the most beautiful testimony of how dedicated she was to this city."

"So I think, at least in this, the memories of those days won't be all bad."

She made a pause, and Stu came next to her giving her a hug of support. But obviously she couldn't keep going. So he took her place and continued.

"I would like to talk to you about our daughter. The day she was born, we knew she would be different, she would have other aspiration. She always did the unexpected, always achieved more than what we thought she could. She was a dreamer, and she dreamt big. But she worked so hard to make those dreams come true."

"You know what we told her ? That it was great to have dreams, as long as you don't believe in the too much. And she did what she always did. She didn't listen to us and made her dreams come true anyway."

"And it made us- It still makes us so p-proud of her."

Tears had filled his voice, and he couldn't keep going. He and her wife were in tears, like every other mammals in the crowd.  
Nick looked around. His mother and Finnick were there too, trying to put up a front to support him, but their faces too were covered in tears.  
Through the thick of his hazy emotions, he made his way to his mate's parents.

"Judy came into our lives and changed them forever. She was born a fighter, and I like to think she fought to the end. She was the most selfless mammal I have ever met. She could see the good in every mammal, even though she could sometimes be a bit quick to judge."

He made a pause looking around him. Maybe it was the fatigue, maybe it was the tears that finally had filled his eyes, but he couldn't distinguish the faces of the mammals around him anymore.

"Against all odds, she was the one to close the missing mammal case, and then, when she discovered how she had hurt the city, and how she had been wrong, she came back and closed the nighthowler case. She could have stayed away, she could have given up but she didn't."  
"Even her last act was heroic. I wouldn't be here talking to you if not for her. She saved my life."  
"She saved it twice actually, the first time when she helped me turn it around, and the second but pulling me out of the line of fire of those two mammals."  
Words were starting to get stuck in his throat. He fought back the sobbing. He had to finish the speech.

"She tried. She tried so hard and in the end I think she succeeded."

"She has made the world a better place."

"And now, it's our duty to continue her work."

As he stopped talking, the coffin was lowered into the hole. The mammals started a slow procession, controlled by the ZPD officers. Slowly, each mammal leaned to take a pawful of dirt and dropped it on the coffin, most of them adding flowers to a growing pile.

Each mammal came after the other. It spanned during what seemed to be hours. Nick thought he was looking at the whole city, dropping their pawful of dirt.

Maybe the whole city had come, maybe that was what she deserved. After all she had worked to make their life better.

It was little ray of hope. If those mammals truely had been touched by his bunny, there was chance to unite them all after all.

"She wasn't cut out for this after all"

Came a first whisper.

Did it come from the crowd ? Nick couldn't tell, but he had heard it.

"He should have saved her."

Who did, who had said that ?

How did they dare ?

"A bunny cop ? How could they think it was a good Idea ?"

The crowd was still circling around him and the tomb.

He turned around, looking at everyone.

"A proper cop would have saved her."

How could they ? He had lost her. He had lost everything.

"He should have died to save her. Not the other way around."

He knew that ! He should have died in her stead !

"Only a sly fox and a dumb bunny after all."

The world began spinning and he lost his footing.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't take the looks, he couldn't take the remarks, he couldn't take the guilt.

Why did it have to happen.

Why did she have to die ?

If only he could wake up from this nightmare.

* * *

 _Bear with me._


	3. Dismay on Their Faces

_Bear with me._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 3** : Dismay on Their Faces_

 _Friday the 18th of January 2019_

Hazy voices in a cold void.

"-'s alright, it was only- … -wounds are light- … -did the dressing ?"

The rocking sound of an engine.

"I did.- … -light wounds- … -scaped Rhinowitz's grasp- … -tranq'ed him. Owtch-..."

Beeping of machines.

"… -must sanitize the wound- ... -good job dressing those woun-... -wouldn't let got of the bunny ?"

Moving lights.

"Bunny- … -a lot of blood, she c-. .."

The fox's torso shot straight up.

"JUDY !" Spikes of pain rushed in his side. "owh, fuck !" he moved his hand to put them on his wound, but his paws were stuck. He heard a tingling. Cuffs. The leg wound had been sewn up, but not the one on his side. This one had only been bandaged.

 _It was a nightmare, it was all a nightmare._

He was in an ambulance, next to him was a paramedic puting bandage on Snarlov's arms.

 _How much of it ? Judy. Where is she ? How is she ?_

"What the hell ?" Came the bear's voice. "How can you be awake ?"

"Don't know, Don't care. How's Judy ? How long was I out ?" The fox began fiddling at the cuffs.

"Like fifteen minutes, you shouldn't be able to wake this soon."

The paramedic, a female porcupine, spoke.

"Adrenalin, it happens, but usually with bigger mammals." She approached "How are you feeling ?"

"Unimportant. How. Is. Judy." He shot back, almost snarling.

"The bloodloss made her lose consciousness, but whoever put on the tourniquet saved her life. She's in the other ambulance five minutes ahead of us. Don't move, I must examine you."

Nick let go of a sigh of relief. While the paramedic shot a torch in each of his eyes and took a look at his wounds, the fox asked.

"Any way to contact the other ambulance ?"

"A radio but don't worry, they're taking good care of your partner."

They heard tingling, Nick raising his paws from his side and scratched his wrists.

"Can I have this radio please ?"

The porcupine and the bear looked at the fox, dismay on their faces.

"How did you-" began the ursine.

"Can I have the radio please ?" He repeated. His tone was polite, mask of warmth and confidence firmly in place.

"I'm not sure it's a good ide-"

"Radio. Now. Please."

He wasn't really asking. The presence of the fox was entirely different from a second ago. Even if Nick was far smaller than him, Snarlov felt threatened. He got up, took the ambulance radio and gave it to the vulpine.

"Thanks. Which frequency ?" he asked the paramedic who turned the dial for him.

"Hi, it's officer Nick from the ambulance behind yours. I want to know about the state of an officer Hopps."

"Uhm, she's mostly stable, but she has lost a lot of blood" came an hesitant voice "We just took her out from the ambulance and to the hospital."

"Will she pull through ?"

The answer took long to come. Nick felt a mix of whine and growl come out of his throat.

"It's to soon to know."

He tried to calm down. His instincts were kicking so hard he wondered if resisting to the nighthowler would put him in the same state.

"And the leg ?"

"We don't know if we'll be able to reattach it ye-"

Nick threw the radio across the vehicle, it exploded against a wall.

"FUCK !" The mask had shattered instantly. Both other mammals were looking at him with wide eyes, not saying a thing. "Sorry guys. I just- I fucked up." He took his head in his paws.

The bear went and sat at his side, putting a supporting paw on his shoulder.

"No you didn't. Your partner is alive, you stopped the culprits. And about my arm... I won't sue you. You thought your friend died and you lost it, perfectly understandable even if a bit strange."

"I wounded you ? Sorry man."

"Hey, it was just a little scratch. I have nothing to complain about compared to you."

There was a slight pause, before something came to Nick's mind.

"Wolford and Blackfur ! Are they okay ?"

"Yeah don't worry. They gave report on radio five minutes ago. Blackfur took a flail of bullets in the bullet-proof vest, didn't even make her move according to Wolford. They tranq'ed the culprits before the SWAT team arrived. Seems they were delayed." The bear looked away before asking. "So you and Judy.. ?"

"Yeah. Me and Judy."

There was nothing more to say.

The rest of the trip was done in complete silence.

...

The passengers felt the ambulance stop, Nick hopped from the stretcher and landed with a grunt.

"Sir, don't you want to use the stretcher ?"

The fox limped out of the vehicle, every step sending sparks of pain in his wounds.

"Nope. I want to walk."

The polar bear walked behing him, a bit on the side, ready to catch him if he stumbled. He limped to the hospital door, a trip that would've been shorter on the stretcher. As he entered the emergency department, bare chest and pants ripped, fur caked with blood, people stared at him. Their astonished looks were like candy to him. A nurse came to him.

"Sir are you alright ?"

"Sure, however I'd like you to check my pal." he said, pointing a thumb to Snarlov "He has a nasty scratch on the arm, and I'm really worried it could be serious. In the meantime, could you please point me to where officer Hopps has been taken ?" He had put on the shit-eating grin. Perfect mask, not a crack.

The goat nurse detailed him from head to toe.

"Sir, you're bleeding." The goat said pointing at his side, unimpressed. He turned around and snapped his finger "I need a stretcher here !"

"You're overreacting, a few gun wounds and cracked ribs never killed anyone." he said.

The bear looked at his partner, mouth slightly open, a smile creeping on the corner of his eyes.

 _Is he seriously joking right now ?_

"However, if you could point in me in the direction to an officer Hopps, that would be absolutely fantastic."

"Sir, I must insist you follow me, please sit here."

Nick felt dizziness come to his head and almost collapsed. He had lost quite a bit of blood, and with the pain, it was starting to be a bit to much for him.

"Alright." Nick hopped on the stretcher and the nurse began pushing it.

 _I'll be of no use if I pass out right now._

"You said you had cracked ribs ?"

"I think I do."

The nurse approched a counter, and looked over it at a few papers.

"Okay, the radiology service has nothing scheduled right now. Your friend can come if you need supports."

"Nope, my friend will go fetch every bit of information he can on officer Judy Hopps and come back to tell me everything. Can you do that for me Snarlov ?"

"Nick, you can't begin to imagine the pile of paperwork I have waiting for me at the precinct after this incident."

"Snarlov, please." This time, the fox wasn't as imperative as he had been in the ambulance. Even with the mask on, there was genuine worry on his eyes.

"Alright Nick."

The bear officer went back to the emergency room.

...

Nick had his radioscopy made and was then taken to an hospital room where he had been said to wait. His bandages had been changed and tightened. The fox had taken off his blood covered clothes and put on the hospital gown. He wanted to go and look for his mate, but if Snarlov came here, he didn't want to risk being elsewhere. He didn't have his phone on him, having forgotten it in the bullet ridden cruiser and so he couldn't get any news from the outside. He had been pacing and limping back and forth for ten minutes when someone knocked at the door and entered. It was a lioness physician, around fourty, wearing a pair of glasses and an annoyed look, behind her was an otter nurse, which was holding a little bag.

"Hello" she said, not lifting an eye from her papers. "My name's doctor Whiskstein, I have taken a look at your x-rays"

"Hello, the name's Nick Wilde an-" She cut him short.

"You're perfectly fine considering the gun wound. Cracked ribs but everything is still in place and will stay that way if you take it easy for the next month. We're keeping you in observation for two days."

"Okay, and how's off-"

"Now I have more pressing matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me. Nurse Sheila will sew and bandage your wound."

She turned around and began leaving, opening the door, ending up facing a large cape buffalo who himself was about to knock.

"Hello sir, could you please move aside ?"

The buffalo let her go and then entered the room, he was carying a folded wheelchair.

The nurse approached the fox.

"Please take off your gown."

Nick didn't like the idea of being in his underwear in front of the chief, but the buffalo went at the window, giving them some privacy.  
The nurse opened the bag, took out a surgical needle, an electric trimmer and some thread. "Lie on your side. Do you want some anesthetic ?"

"No, go ahead, the sooner you'll be done the better."

The nurse took away Nick's bandage shaved around the wound, disinfected it and began sewing it back up. Nick flinched at the first needle prick, but not at the ones that followed.

While the nurse was working, Nick asked.

"Chief Bogo ? What are you doing here."

"Snarlov called me, I'm taking it from here. Wilde, are you alright ?"

"Fine, our good nurse is doing a fine job here, but no action for the next month."

The nurse finished her sewing, cutting the thread. "Alright, you're good to go, try not to twist your upper body too much if you want the stitching to hold." She put back her equipement in the bag and left the room.

The buffalo unfolded the wheelchair. He noticed the twitch in the fox's tail and the effort he put on staying composed, but the distress he was in was obvious.

"Sit, we're going for a stroll."

"Where ?"

"To Judy. And I have a few matters to discuss with you." the chief tone was calm, but Nick could feel he was stressed.

The fox sat and the buffalo began pushing the chair. Nick could literally feel himself getting closer to his bunny. Even if his stress was still through the roof, he slowly began to feel calmer.

"What happenned Wilde. Leave out the details, I want the bulk of it."

Nick took a deep breathe, he didn't want to recall those events yet, maybe not ever, but it had to be done.

"Right after we got to the mall, this black van stopped right in front of me and officer Hopps. Those two mammals came out, armed with rifles and didn't comply when we ordered them to stand down. Instead, they began to empty their guns at us. Carrots pulled us to safety but one of the bear's bullet caught her in the leg and- and torn it." He hit the arm of the chair, thinking about it felt physically painful to him. "I made a tourniquet to stop her from bleeding out, and then I emptied both my and her gun at them. I think the sheep's dead but the bear survived." He caught his breathe. "Then Snarlov and Rhinowitz came, Snarlov patched me up and just before the ambulance arrived, Judy lost consciousness." He sighed, slumping his shoulders. "I snapped. I couldn't let her go, I thought she was dead. After that I think Snarlov tranq'ed me and I woke up in an ambulance."

The chief kept pushing him in the hallway, staying silent, reflecting on what the fox had just said.

"You're together aren't you ?"

"Yes. Snarlov told you ?"

"Yes, but I had to be sure. It explains why she changed her emergency contact to you. You're also in charge of the decisions in case of her being unable to make them."

"What ?" reacted the fox.

"What indeed. And here are your phone and wallet."

The buffalo stopped and turned the chair so Nick would face him. He kneeled to put his face on the same level.

"Now important question : do you think you being together affected the outcome of the altercation ?"

The question was loaded. It could mean the end of his and her carrier but he refused to lie.

"Yes. I'm fairly certain that we being mates is what kept the both of us from getting killed."

They stared in eachothers eyes for a bit, the chief wheighing the declaration. He broke eye contact and sighed.

"I can't say I like it. I'd prefer you two only being friend. But I don't see it as a liability." The cape buffalo went back up and began pushing the chair again. "Yet. Don't make me be wrong, Wilde."

The rest of the trip was spent in silence. Nick wanted to ask the chief if he knew how Judy was, if she would pull through, but he would discover it soon enough and the truth scared him as much as the incertainty. Finally they stopped in front of a door. It was a waiting room near the surgery block. A bear nurse and a surgeon raccoon were chatting with one another. They stopped as soon as the buffalo and the fox arrived, the nurse left and the surgeon turned toward them.

"Hello, my name's Doctor Procyon, are you the man called Nicholas Piberius Wilde ? I'll need to see ID for legal purpose." He said, trudging in his paper, barely lifting his gaze. Nick wondered if it was a doctor's habit to not look people in the eyes.

"Yes it is I," he said, taking out his ID. "Is she okay ?"

"She lost a lot of blood, we're transfusing some back as we speak. We can't say there won't be any cerebral repercussions yet. If her brain lacked too much oxygen, it could prove to alter it."

"How ?"

"It could range from memory loss to catatonic state."

Nick felt his paws shivering. Could she forget him ? Could she forget what they had ? Worse, could she end up being trapped in her own body, never again being able to move, passively waiting for her life to end ? He pushed back those questions as far he could. He needed to be strong, it was no time fall into despair.

"Understood." He heard himself say. "what do you need me for ?"

"If we're to reattach her leg, we need to do it now. You see, the bullet completely destroyed the patella, the kneecap if you will, as well as parts of the fibula and tibia, luckily, the femur is completely intact. We're currently 3D printing another patella and the parts missing from her bones. That's the easy step. The hard one is reassembling it all, hoping that muscles and ligament that we will transplant will hold it all together. This will be a long and hard process, with, I'd say, 30% chances of success. With risk of rejection, infections, and all sort of other complications, if the surgery is a success. If we're to do it, we need you to sign this paper."

"Any alternative ?"

"The easiest, less risky and less costly one would be to not reattach the leg. She'll have a stump and a prosthetic and would be able to walk again."  
The fox looked at the paper, the estimated cost was around 80000 dollars, excluding reeducation. Her shitty cop insurance would only cover around 15000.

"Chief, I suppose we can't have cops with a prosthetic leg ?"

"No. It's not something I can allow. It would be a liability to her collegues and to the civilian. I'm sor-"

"You don't need to apologize. That's fair."

The fox signed the paper gave it back to the raccoon.

"Alright. Let's do this. How long you think the surgery will take ?"

"With the printing, I'd say around four hours."

 _Don't worry carrots, you'll pull through, I won't let you give up on your dream._

The raccoon put a paw on Nick shoulder. "Even if we can't reattach her leg, she'll be okay. Of that, I'm sure." It was a meager consolation.

The doctor left, and the chief pushed Nick back to his room. The worst part to Nick, was that he wouldn't be able to see his bunny before the surgery. Even if the doctor was confident she'd be okay, he couldn't really bring himself to believe it. The idea of her mate alone, without him by her side to reassure her was painful. It teared at his heart like an icy blade.

As they entered his room, he took out his phone. He had a call to make and with a bit of luck, it would pull him out of his dark thoughts.

"Chief, I have a phonecall to make, but you can stay here if you want."

He quickly dialed. The phone rang a few time before someone picked up.

"Hey kid ! How's it hanging ?" Came Finnick's voice.

"Everything's fine." He lied. "can I talk to my mother please ?"

"Shure !" He heard a few noises before hearing his mother's voice.

"Hey son ! How's it hanging ?" She asked, imitating the fennec's voice.

"Great ! Say, would you happen to have kept a bit of the money I sent you over the years ?"

"Sure, I never used my part. I have it all in a shoebox."

Nick sighed in relief.

"I need, to borrow arround 80000 dollars. Maybe a hundred. I'll pay you back whenever I can."

"Nick, it's your money." Said his mother with a half-annoyed tone. "You shouldn't have sent it to me to begin with. You can have all of it. Why do you need it by the way ?"

There was a slight pause.

"Nick ? Are you still here ?"

"Okay, listen and don't panic. Shit happenned at work. I got shot but I'm fine. Judy got shot and she isn't. I need the cash for her surgery. She's alive and will pull through, don't worry."

"Nick, where are you ?" Her voice immediately filled with distress.

"Downtown central hospital but you don't need to com-"

"Like hell I do ! I'm coming right now. Fin, dress up. Nick, don't move." She hanged up.

Nick stared blankly at his phone for a few seconds.

"So that's taken care of." he smiled, trying to put on a brave front.

He looked up and saw the buffalo tapping on his smartphone screen with a worried face.

"Crap."

"Everything alright sir ?"

"Yes. I have a call to make too. Don't move."

The cape buffalo got out and Nick was left alone with his toughts. It felt like a swirl of darkness gnawing at his heart. He pushed them back, relentlessly, during what felt like an eternity. Even though he would never admit it, he hoped the chief would come back soon.

* * *

 _I should really be careful, soon, no one will want to read my stories anymore._

 _Are you alright guys ? I'd say don't worry it's going to be okay, but by that point, would you really trust me ?_

 _I know I wouldn't :)_

 _I think we can all thank Foxlover91 and Fox in the hen house. Without their nightmarish ideas, I wouldn't have written chapter two. So once again, thanks for that wonderful torturing idea. And let me tell you, this was one of the hardest thing I had to write until now._

 ** _Review time :_**

 _ **Foxlover91 :** As you have just read, this wasn't a dream. Well, not chapter 1 at least. I tried to foreshadow that shit was going to go down in the precedent part, but maybe I didn't do a good job. Or maybe nothing could prepare you for that. MUHUHUHAHAHA. I'm not writing Judy off. Yet. Will I ? Won't I ? Only one way to find out._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** Aaaaaand this wasn't a nightmare. Chapter 1 at least. Yes, I just blew one character's leg off. You don't want to know what happened in an earlier draft. This is the light version._

 _ **bsmith1138 :** She's alive and not well. I think one could say... She stepped on something big. YEEEAAAAAAAAHHH (⌐■_■)_

 _And sorry for the delay, I didn't want to spoil those three chapters. I'll try to always answer reviews, but since Part 2 will be a bit (lot ?) more plot heavy, it's a hard thing to do without spoiling what's coming._


	4. Normal Response to Violent Emotions

_There a re a few things you need to know about part 2 that I didn't want to reveal before, in order to not spoil the first three chapters._

 _Part 2 will be longer than Part 0 and Part 1, maybe even twice as long as Part 1. It will be less heavy in fluff and way more violent (both physically and emotionally). I will try to tackle a few difficult topics, and I'm not sure I'll do it well. As I said before, this is my first long running story, and it's going to be a bumpy ride._

 ** _As for the reviews :_**

 _ **Fox in the hen house** : Down already ? It's only round one ! But please keep on with the compliments, I really enjoy them ;)_

 _ **Foxlover91** : I would say I'm sorry about the tone switch, but I'm really not... More like 180 if you ask me, 360 would put you back where you started :p Yes, the saving funds are a blessing, otherwise the operation would cost them... An arm and a leg... YEEEEEAAAAAAH (⌐■_■) All right, I must stop doing that.  
_

 _ **Robert Escher** : I like your terrible ideas. Maybe I'll use them later on... Guys, if Nick ends up wearing Judy's leg around his neck, it's this guy's fault._

 _ **Saforite 154** : I won't talk about the whole point of her having a leg blasted off, it would be spoiler material. As for reattaching it with 'magic', I've actually researched on medical progress with artifical bones, muscle and other tissues, and we're doing quite well. I think it wouldn't be unrealistic to have this kind of technology by 2019-2020. (You wouldn't believe how much medical documentation I had to find out about many things, including drugs for the chapters to come... Ooops, spoilers.)_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 4** : Normal Response to Violent Emotions_

 _Friday the 18th of January 2019_

The chief came back twenty minutes later and got behind the fox, began pushing the chair out of the room.

"Where are we going ?"

"Security ward."

"The what ? Why ?" the security ward was used to keep criminals, cops and witnesses when they had to be protected. Only a selected few knew of its exact location, even of its existence, in this hospital and Nick wasn't one of them.

"Reasons. Trust me. I'll have an officer bring you a change of clothes and a tooth brush."

"Great, I'm a prisonner." he half-joked.

"No. It's for your protection."

They entered an elevator. The chief pushed a button written 'admin', wiped a magnetic card on the reader pushed the fourth button and dialed a password on a ten-numbers keypad.

"All this is very secretive." the fox joked.  
The fox felt the elevator move down, probably to make lose the passenger the sense of where they stood in relation to the ground. The doors opened again and they entered in a hallway like any other, except for the security personnal they came across.

"We're underground aren't we ?"

"Yes."

Nick took out his phone. No reception.

"Great."

"There are phones in the rooms. Do you need to call someone ?"

"Yes, Judy's parents, do you happen to have their number on you ?"

"No, but I'll ask Clawhauser when we get at your new room. You'll share it with officer Hopps for a few days."

"And then ?"

"Let me get you to your room, I'll explain what I can, alright ?"

The hallways were awfuly empty, the buffalo's steps grimly resonating in their ears. He ended up opening a door and entered with the fox, closing the door behing him. He took out his own phone.

"You have reception ?"

"Wifi, this floor has its own, I'll give you the password. But first things first."

The cape buffalo took an inspiration. Whatever he was about to say, Nick knew he wouldn't like it.

"Bellwether has disappeared."

 _Bingo._

"You mean, she escaped."

"No, she was most likely kidnapped." He showed his phone to the fox. There was the picture of a cell with inscriptions in blood.

"Justice for Predators" read Nick. "Are they serious ? Is it all blood ?"

"Yes, at first we thought it was red paint, but clearly it was blood. And if it's all hers, there is little chance she's still alive."

Nick didn't really feel sorry about it.

"When and how did it happen ?"

"Same time as your attack. There were at least eight other cases of drugged mammal shooting in the street at the same time. And to me, it all looks like a distraction. No way to have any free officer to take care of a break out. We didn't recover the security feeds yet but we hope it will shed light on the case. If I tell you now, it's because I don't want you to learn it any another way. It's also the reason I want you in this ward. I don't know who did this but you're linked to it, since you played a part in her downfall."

Nick looked at the floor. Too much was happenning. His bunny was wounded, the pred's worse enemy had been taken, probably killed, and he was stuck in the security ward.

"Is there anything I can do to help sir ?"

"Yes, I'll have Snarlov bring you your laptop and you'll write a report on what happenned today."

The chief took his phone and wrote something, a few second later they heard the ding of a notification. The chief showed the screen to Nick.

"Here's Judy's parents number. You can use the phone in the corner to call them. I'll have Snarlov and MacHorn escort them here. And your mother also when she'll show up here. I cannot give you more details as of now, but you'll now as soon as I get anything new. And not a word of all this to any one. Not about Bellwether, not about any elements of the drugged shooter case. Are we clear ?"

Nick added the number to his directory.

"Crystal clear."

The chief took a few step toward the door and stopped, looking at the fox behind his shoulder.

"Thanks for saving officer Hopps' life Nicholas. You're a better mammal and officer than I gave you credit for."  
And with this sentence he left the room.

"Fuck chief," answered Nick to the door "don't go dropping those bombs on me."

...

He hadn't taken the time to look at the room before the chief had left. There was a bed and room for another. There was also a pair of wheeled tables. Nick went and put the papers on it, he would read and fille them later. There was another wheelchair and a door. In a corner, an old phone was hanging at the wall. Nick stood up and slowly limped to the door, opening it up. Behind it was a small bathroom.

"Luxurous."

He went back to the mural phone. Dialing Judy's parents number.

 _This is going to suck so much._

The phone rang several time before someone picked it up.

"Hopps household, Bonnie speaking." came a cheerful voice, but the fox could hear the anxiety underneath.

"Hey ! It's me Nick !" he said, trying to sound as cheerful and comforting as possible.

There was a slight pause.

"Nick ? How are you doing ? We know about the firefight in the city. Is anyone hurt ? We tried to call Judy several time but she didn't answer."

So they did know about the firefight but not yet about Judy being hurt.  
"I'm fine, thanks. Judy is too, don't worry." He lied "Could you please call Stu, bring a pair of chair to sit on and make everyone else leave the room please ?"

"Is everything alright ?"

"Do that for me, Bonnie, please ? I'll explain everything." He had used his most suave and warm voice. The phone wasn't the best place to use it but he needed every edge he could find. He heard the bunny call her husband and pushing out every other bunny. There was a scraping sound, probably Bonnie moving the seats. He heard a voice coming from afar.

"Is it the fox ? Does he know why our daughter won't answer her phone ?"

"Stu !"

"Alrigt alright."

Nick couldn't keep himself from smiling. Judy's father was so caricatural.

"We're both here Nick."

"Okay. Nice. Great. First of all, you must know that Judy's okay, perfectly fine, not in any danger."

"Did something happen to my daughter ? If you did something to her, fox-"

Nick heard a smacking noise.

"Sorry honey." came the apologetic voice of the male bunny.

"So, as I was saying, Judy's okay. Now, you have to know, we were in a bit of a firefight and we're now at the hospital. Judy's currently in surgery."

There were gasps coming from the phone.

"She was shot in the leg. She lost blood but not even close to being fatal." he lied again. Still no answers. "I'm sure it would be good for her if you came and visited. What do you say ?"

Bonnie's voice came, trying to hide the anxiety that had risen again.

"Sure, we'll come. We'll take the first train. At which hospital is she staying ?"

"Downtown Central." He gave them the precinct's phone number "Give them your arrival time at Zootopia's train station. Officers will come to escort you, alright ?"

"Okay, that's all written down. Thanks for calling Nick."

"Sorry it had to be in those circumstances."

They hung up and Nick suddenly felt terribly lonely in the empty room and needed to do something, anything in order to occupy his mind, otherwise he would think of Judy. Alone, on the cold operation table. Without anyone to comfort her, on the frontier between life and death. A wave of despair slowly rose and washed over his mind.

A loud knock was heard at the door and it burst open, showing an unnerved and distressed vixen. Behind her were Snarlov, with a half annoyed half amused smile on his face, and Finnick carrying a hug sport's bag who looked at Vivienne with a worried expression.

"Hey mom ! How's it hanging ?" Nick asked, imitating the fennec's voice, immediately putting on a mask of calm and confidence.

Three steps and she slapped him.

 _Okay so slapping is her normal response to violent emotions._

"Mom, do you think one day you'll be able to greet me without hitting me ?"

She wrapped in her arms. "The city is in shambles, there are cops everywhere ! For fuck's sake Nick what is happening ?"

"Calm down mom. Ow ow ow, don't squeeze me, I'm wounded." She immediately let him go "You need to sit, you're even more stressed out than me."

 _If it could be possible._

He limped and made her sit on his bed.

Snarlov entered and put Nick's laptop and charger on a rolling table. "I'll be outside if you need me, Judy's parents should arrive in about 6 hours." he said with a smile. He closed the door behind him.

And awkward silence fell onto the room's occupants.

"How are ya holdin' up ?" asked Finnick.

Nick looked at his wounds. "Honestly ? I think I was pretty lucky. I took two bullets and both were only grazes. Cracked ribs though, so no action for me in the next month."

"I ain't talking 'bout that."

Nick sighed. He had perfectly understood what his friend meant but didn't want to talk about it.

"The doctor thinks she'll pull through. I couldn't see her before the surgery. I'm not great, but she had it worse than me. I'll be okay."

His ears had slumped and it was obvious it wasn't a topic he wished to talk about right bow. Finnick perfectly understood it.

"And what 'bout the elevator ride and code to enter dis floor ? It aint't no standard hospital procedure. They even made us sign some form 'bout not telling no-one what or who we'd see here." he said, not so subtely switching topic.

"We're in the security ward, don't ask me why they put me here, I don't know."

"Nick, what is happenning around the ciy ?" Vivienne cut into the conversation with a bewildered tone.

"There were shoot-outs all around the city for some reason. Me and Judy got caught into one. She took a bullet in the leg and now she's in surgery."

"How bad is it ?"

The discussion had come right back to where he didn't want it to go. It was inevitable so he steeled himself in order to answer.

"The bullet caught her kneecap, ripped the leg clean off. They're trying to reattach it as we speak."

His mother covered her mouth with her paws, Finnick expression fell.

"Oh my god." she whispered.

"Didja catch the bastards ?" asked the fennec. He had his serious face on. The one that said that otherwise he would find them himself.

"They're not going anywhere. I-" he had killed another mammal. His first realisation had been dampen by the adrenalin. Not this time. He rushed to the toilet. Finnick and Vivienne heard gagging and puking noise. The vixen went into the bathroom and helped him clean up, supporting him as he limped back. He suddenly seemed much more tired. He sat on the wheelchair again.

"I shot them. Killed one of them." he put his face in his hands. "Protect and serve, my ass."

"They attacked you ! You only defended yourself. Don't blame yourself."

"But they wer-" He stopped mid-sentence. He remembered what chief Bogo had said.

 _I can't talk about the drug._

"Yeah, they did attack us. Doesn't mean I feel any better..." he stood up and limped to his mother. "I think I need a hug." He had never been one to seek for physical affection but he couldn't cope with all the thoughts that were swirling in his mind.

Finnick had seen his friend look miserable but this time it broke all previously registered records.

Dark thoughts were piling up in Nick mind. The shoot-out was playing in a loop, he saw Judy desperate face as she tried to tourniquet her leg. Her absence teared at him like an open wound. The possibility that she could stop being a cop, that her dream could escape her was leaving cold spikes in his brain. And above all he felt guilty. He hadn't been able to protect her like she did him. He was his mate, he should have but he didn't.

His mother's arms were wrapped around him again. He wanted to cry to get rid of all of the buzzing in his head but his eyes felt like dry wells. His shoulders started shaking, he lost his breathe, feeling his throat tighten and his muscles tensing up.

"Nick ?" came the worried voice of his mother.

"P-panic attack. It will p-pass."

He thought he would avoid it when they had come in, but it had come to hit him, breaking down all barriers.  
He remembered his first and only previous one, more than twenty years ago. Only then he felt the first tear rolling down his cheek. The tension in his muscles woke up the wound he had been able to forget, and he couldn't help himself from slumping on the floor with a groan of pain.

"I'm o-okay." He said.

Finnick joined in the hug. It suprised him a bit, the fennec being even less into physical show of emotion than he was.

"We know you alright kid. Everything' gon' be okay. The bunny and you''ll pull through. I'm shure of it."

 _I must really be a complete mess if even Fin feels the need to comfort me..._

They stayed like this, Nick feeling the bumping of his heart slow down gradually, the panic leaving him, letting him take back control. He was still shaking but he felt better.

He moved off a bit, to show that he was getting better. "Thanks guys, I'm good now."

"Don't make it a habit, I ain't gonna do dat every day." joked the fennec fox.

"You know you loved it." Smirked Nick.

"Only 'cause you mom was involved."

Nick stood back up, helped by his mother and friend and sat on the bed.

"Sorry you guys had to see this."

"Nick, we're your goddam family, don't apologize. We want to be here for you."

"Judy says that to me all the time. I'm slowly starting to believe it." he chuckled. His face fell a bit. "I called her parents. They knew about the shoot-outs in the city. That was really strange calling them to announce this, but I think it's better I did it than some other officer." he made a pause "I tried to calm them dowm. Maybe I underplayed the seriousness of her injuries a bit. I think her mom would've been able to take it but I'm fairly certain her father would've fainted if I had told the truth." He chuckled again. A strange smile came to his face. "Guys, how come those country bunnies knew about what was happenning in the city and you didn't ?"

"Nick, you know I don't watch TV, and my block isn't- let's say gunshots aren't that unusual so I thought nothing of it."

He looked at them, they look embarassed. "And we were a bit busy" her voice trailed off.

"I won't ask you how you've spent your day. I've have enough horrors to deal with." the shit-eating grin was back. Fin knew the jokes were Nick's way to cope with what wheighed on his mind. "Bonds are hard to deal with arent they ?" he taunted, grin still in place.

His mother and his friend looked at eachother. Vivienne talked "The bond's really weak compared to the one with your father." She turned to Finnick with an apologetic look "Not that I'm comparing you two or-"

"Vi, I know whatchu meant." He kissed her paw he was holding to reassure her.

Nick looked at them. It made sense, both of them weren't really young, his mother had had a mate before Finnick, and fennec foxes bond weren't that strong to begin with.

"My mom and my best friend are a pair of sex-crazed and depraved mammal" he said in a fakely desperate tone, raising his paws in a hopeless dramatical move.

"Says the bunny-banging fox." retorted the fennec-fox.

"Kids, the both of you." chuckled the vixen.


	5. Not Using any Gloves

_Hello guys. This second chapter is posted a bit early this week, simply because I don't know if I'll have time to do so later._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** Am I evil, though ? I don't know. My minions says I am, but then again, they'd say anything so that I'd let them torture the souls of the sinners in the pits of hell._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I have plans for our good Bellwether, great plans ! Evil ones !_  
 _It's always hard to write emotional scenes that don't feel forced. As always, I'm glad it came out right. As for Judy's parents' reaction... You'll see it when we get there._

 _ **Ely :** You will never get the fluffy back. I'm keeping it chained in my basement for later use (and abuse). My writing is littered with Tchekhov's Rifles. Can't do two steps without stumbling on one. Some are decoys though, keep your eyes open._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 5 :** Not Using any Gloves_

 _Friday the 18th of January 2019_

Hazy voices in a warm comfort.

"Did everythi- … -could've gon- ... -ter."

Beeping of machines.

"...-sure the- ... -will take ?"

Faint white light.

"… -ot a fox, but- … -than she looks- …"

She tried to straighten up, but she felt her strentgh escaping her.

"Nick ?" her voice was weak. No louder than a whisper.

"Judy ?" she felt a paw on her cheek. "guys she's waking up."

"You're here ? You're alright ? I-I don't remember... What happenned."

"Everything's fine sweetheart. The doctor said your mind would be hazy because of the anaesthesia. It'll come back."

But Nick really hoped it wouldn't. He stroked her fur in a loving manner, reassuring her as she came to.

According to what Nick had been told, the surgery had ended up an hour sooner than anticipated and the doctors believed that bunnies being social mammals, she would be better off waking up to a friendly environment. The only condition being that said environment should stay calm.  
Judy looked around. She saw her fox, looking tenderly at her. She recognized the two other silhouettes, Vivienne and Finnick. There was a third one. A raccon she didn't know with a physician gown. He waved at her.

"Hello miss Hopps. I'm doctor Procyon."

"Hello." She tried to straighten up again, all she could do was lift her arm. The doctor approached her and widely opened her eyes to examine them, shining a light in them. It made her blink, but the raccoon paid it no mind. "Follow the pen" he said, moving it around. She did easily, but blinked a few time. "Do you know which day it is ?"

The bunny blinked a few time. "18th of January 2019, a friday I think."

The doctor scribbled on his notepad. "Good. You're doing as well as one could in your situation."

"Why can't I move ?"

"Anaesthetic. Your lower body will stay numb for a bit more longer. A good thing really, you mustn't move your left leg."

Her eyes shot wide open. "My leg, I remember, I lost my leg. My le-" she began hyperventilating, her shoulders and arms shaking.

Nick took her face between his paws, locking his eyes into her. "Judy calm down. You're alright. The surgeon put it back on, breathe."  
The bunny's fit of panic receided.

"B-Back on ?"

The fox carefully lifted her upper body so she could look down on herself. A sheet covered her from her chest to a bit under her waist. She could see her leg, covered with a blue 3D printed cast. The fur had been shaved around the large scar, showing transplanted skin and stitches. She gasped in relief.

"I remember some things. It's foggy. The shoot-out, you being wounded, the tourniquet..."

He kissed her forehead. "We'll have time to talk about this later. It's good that you're awake, the doc wanted to make a few recommandations after examining you."

"Yes, I do. First of all, I forbid you to try to get up for the next week. Don't even try to move your leg, I don't want to have you strapped to your bed."

"Doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me." joked the fox with a naughty grin. "owtch, easy with the elbows Carrots."

"You'll have to take antibiotics to avoid an infection, and other drugs to diminish the rejection risk." Continued the doctor.

"You mean, for the skin graft ?"

"Yes, but mainly for the prosthetic bioceramic bones inside your leg."

"Bioceramic what ?"

"Bones. We've had to replace some bones." The bunny stared at him in disbelief. "I know it's a lot to take in. I can come back and continue this later."

Judy took an inspiration. "No, the sooner the better I think."

"I agree. So, you'll also want to take painkillers, although they're not mandatory. We'll come and check your leg every day, and if by the end of the week everything seems in order, we'll be able to start reeducation. Slow reeducation. I'll say it now and I will repeat it as much as I have to, don't try to overdo it. Don't even think about doing more than what's prescribed to you. The chances of your muscles and ligaments recovering are far from good." He trudged in his paper sand took out an x-ray print. It showed a rabbit leg with bones with different opacity. "To push my point further, I want you to see this. This is your leg now. The bones and bone-parts that are whiter are the things that we had to replace. We've been able to reattach muscles and ligaments but for now they are weak. Strand-of-hair weak. I hope everything is clear."

"So no hopping around." Nick joke, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

"Understood doc. No moving around for a week and be very careful afterwards." Judy's expression was blank.

"If everything goes well, you should physically be able to get back on duty in 7 months. It could be less, it could be more. I suggest to not get your hopes up. What else..." he put back his eyes on the paper. "Oh yes. The unpleasant part. No food for a while, only IV bag. You can drink, though I suggest you don't do so too much. No shower either, a nurse will come and wash you with a washcloth-"

Nick tensed up. Maybe it was silly but he really didn't want to accept anyone touching his bunny beside him. The simple idea that the nurse had undressed her made his anger rise. He cut the doctor.

"Would it be a problem if I did that instead ?"

"It's not unusual for relatives or friends to perform this task, but you'll have to let a nurse explain you how to safely proceed." He pointed at the cast. "You don't want to disturb the healing process."

Judy looked at Nick with incomprehension but he shrugged away the untold question.

"And for all that is the urinating and defecating business, if the need would arise." He pointed at a chamber pot. "You shouldn't need it too much with the IV bag. Since you must keep your movement to a minimum, you'll need help with that too."

If the washing part had annoyed her, this straight up embarassed her.

 _That's only for one week._

"I think that's all. Don't hesitate to call a nurse if you need anything. I have to go now. Remember that she needs calm. If you feel light-headed, it's normal, if you feel drowsy, don't hesitate to sleep." The doctor waved at everyone and left the room.

She felt Nick arms carefully wrap around her. Now that the doctor had said his piece and departed, he could give his bunny the attention she deserved. Vivienne and Finnick gave them a bit of privacy, getting behind the screen separating the doe's from the fox's empty bed.

She relaxed in the fox warm embrace as his tail completed the coccoon he had formed with his body. He had placed his snout in her neck, nudging her as he installed himself. Just for a minute, she was able to forget everything. She felt a shiver in her fox, and heard a discreet whimper in his throat.

"I'm okay" she whispered. "I'm okay, I won't leave you."

"Don't you ever do that to me again."

She had already seen Nick distressed, but never this much. Though she was the one the most badly wounded, she couldn't imagine how the bond treated him.

"I thought I lost you. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"You saved my life, you silly fox. You were wonderful."

"You saved mine. You were wounded because of it."

"And you stopped the bleeding." She tenderly kissed him on the snout. "I'll get better."

"What if you don't ?"

The bunny cupped the fox's face, making him face her.

"It's me, silly fox. I _will_ get better."

Before he could retort anything, she gave him the a kissed charged with all the comfort and love she had. He kissed her back lovingly, and hugged her again tightly. She felt him slowly relax and they stayed interlocked for a moment, savoring eachothers presence.

Nick slowly pulled away, kissing the doe's snout, and installed himself at her side, his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

As if they knew what had transpired, Vivienne and Finnick came back from behind the screen and installed themselves on the other side of her large bed.

Feeling like the mood needed a bit of lighting up, Judy said : "You know Nick, if you hope washing me will end up turning into anything else than, well... washing me, I don't think it will happen."

She was wearing a half-joking, half-annoyed smile. Nick chuckled.

"That's not why I want to do that myself."

"Then why ?" She asked, in an inquisitive tone.

"Because his instincts are acting up, no way he can let any other mammal put a paw on you." Answered Vivienne with a smile. "Glad to see you back in the land of the living.".

"Yeah, ya scared us bunny. Slick was all over the place." Added the fennec.

"Was I out long ? I don't recall anything after Snarlov and Rhinowitz's arrival."

Nick looked at his phone. "I'd say around six hours. Speaking about the time, I'd say your parents are about fifteen minutes away."

Judy's eyes widen. She felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"Oh crap."

"What, you're scared of your parents ? They won't scold you, you're a grown bunny." He looked at her with a taunting smile. "I mean, you are right ? You all are so little I can barely tell."

"That's not it. They will be completely panicked. They'll try to make me quit the ZPD and bring me back to bunny-burrow." She buried herself into the pillow. "And that's not a fight I want to have right now. Or at all."

"No way I'll let anyone take my bunny from me." He said kissing her forehead.

The door flew open, a pair of panicked bunny erupting from the hallway and into the room.

"Judy !" They looked around the room and saw their daughter frozen on her bed, her paw in Nick's, his own face turned toward them. There were two other foxes, a vixen and probably a little kid.

"Oh thank carrots, you're alright !" said Stu.

"Alright ? She's wearing a cast !" Bonnie approached. "Shoo fox, I want to see my daughter." Nick silently chuckled and got down from the bed, letting the Hopps talk to their daughter, waving at her.

"We'll let you have some privacy." He went to his bed and Vivienne unfolded the screen between it and Judy's bed.

Truth is, he didn't let them so much privacy, listening to every bit of conversation they had, ready to come to his bunny's support if she needed it.

He took the pile of paper the doctor had left him and began filling them to pass time.

His mother and his friend had understood he wanted to listen and so, they didn't trouble him. In truth, they wanted to hear too.

The two bunny newcomers went and hugged their daughter. For a few seconds, Judy could actually believe they wouldn't make a scene. But she knew better, and even though she could anticipate the conversation to come, she was actually glad they had come.

"Judy, what happenned ?" came her mother's voice.

"It's just the job mom, there was a firefight, I was shot in the leg. Don't worry I'm okay now." She answered with a soothing tone.

She saw her mother take a closer look to her leg, detailing the scar and stitches.

"You've been more than shot. What happenned to your leg ?"

"Nothing, it's fine." She tried, and failed, to reassure her.

Her mother's voice turned to firm.

"Young lady, you're going to tell me everything this instant !"

"Sit dad on a chair then. He's going to need it." she sighed.

"I can stay standing, don't worry about me."

The two female bunnies looked at him in disbelief, Bonnie giving him a chair. He sat while grumbling.

Judy told them how they were called for a jewellery hold-up, the van that came afterward and the firefight. She didn't leave out the part where her leg got torn out by a bullet and how Nick had saved her life with the tourniquet. However, she didn't talk about him emptying two guns at the attackers or that they were probably drugged out of their mind. She said that she didn't remember what happen after back-up came because she fell unconscious but when she came to her leg was back on and she'd have to stay put for at least a week.

At the end of the story, she could see both of her parents were pale under their fur, her father had shaking hands and seemed in the brink of fainting.

"Well, you've done enough for this city. I'll call bunny-burrow's hospital and arrange for an ambulance to take you back. You're going home. I won't let this place kill my daughter." She began fondling her purse and took out a phone. "Crud, no reception."

"Mom, stop. I'm not going back. I'm still a cop."

"No you're not ! I can't allow your silly ideas anymore. First you had to go this academy and become a cop, then you arrested two mayors, mated with this pel- this fox, and now you've been shot ! You're coming back with us, wether you want it or not !"

Nick's head shot up at that last sentence.

 _Should I intervene ?_

Judy sighed again. She would lie if she said she hadn't seen it coming.

Her mother was facing her with crossed arms, her father was sitting on the chair, hiw elbows on his knees, head in his paws.

"You'll take me back to bunny-burrow and then what ? I'll become a carrot farmer ? I don't want to be one and I never wanted to. I get that you're scared, I get that you're worried, but after all those years I hoped that you would begin to care about what I want !"

She hadn't shouted, there was no trace of sadness in her voice. Only firmness.

"It's not about what you want, it's about what's best for you and your safety !" Bonnie's voice had left the realm of motherly authority and entered the one of hysteria.  
Judy let her calm down a bit. She looked her mother in the eyes and took a deep breath. There was a card she hadn't played yet.

 _I really don't want to say this._

"No, it's not about me. It's about you. It's about your fear. You're afraid that I'll get hurt, you're afraid that I'll die. And it's normal, you're my parents. But this is my life, not yours."

Her mother recoiled, like she had been slapped.

"Judith Laverne Hopps, don't you talk to me like this !"

"You're acting upon fear. And last time I checked, results of this course of action weren't pretty."

Nick's face was a mix of pride and apprehension.

 _Sheesh Carrots, you're not using any gloves. That's my bunny._

If bonnie looked liked she had been slapped before, this time it was more of a punch to the face.

Her voice rose again.

"Listen here, little miss-"

She felt a paw on her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Honey, stop. Look at your daughter, she won't change her mind."

Her parents looked at her. She was wearing the same defying face than when she had announced she had sent her application to the police academy. Then, they didn't fight as hard, her parents never believing she would make it.

"We can't protect her, Bonnie. And I don't want to force her to be a farmer. Don't you remember how miserable she was when she quit being a cop ?"

"But she could die !" shouted her mother, tear rising in her eyes.

"I know that ! I think about it every day. But as she said, it's her life. We must accept it and let her make her own choices." He took his wife in his arms "And we must support them. Because that's what parents do."

Judy, surprised, looked at her parents. Her father was usually the emotional one, she had never seen her mother cry before. Him being the voice of reason between the two seemed strange, like discovering a new facet she had never seen.

Soon enough, the three of them were hugging and crying, Judy's parents having come to their daughter.

"Bunnies, so emotional." Whispered Nick.

"You said it." answered Finnick as low with a smile.

They both felt a sharp slap on the back of their head.

"Shut up, both of you." came Vivienne's half-annoyed and half-amused voice.

...

The sobbing coming from the other side of the screen slowly faded away and Nick risked an eye to the other side. The three Hopps had sad smiles on their faces, Stu havin put an arm around his wife shoulder to comfort her. As he saw Nick, he extended a paw to him. "Thanks for saving my daughter's life."

The fox held back the half-dozen of humorous answer that came to his mind and shook Stu's paw with a slight nod. He was a bit taken aback when Bonnie went and hugged him tightly, with a simple "Thank you." She then went back to her husband who wrapped back his arm around her shoulders."Sorry you had to hear that." she said while wiping out her tears.

"Don't sweat it, I know how family discussions can become tearful."Answered Vivienne. Nick glanced at her with a smirk. She smirked back.

Stu took out his free paw "You must be Nick's mother, the names Stewart, call me Stu." Vivienne shook his paw.

"My name is Vivienne, nice to meet you."

"I'm Bonnie, it's a pleasure." greeted Judy's mother, shaking the vixen's paw in turn.  
"And who's this adorable little guy ?" Asked Stu leaning in direction of Finnick with a fatherly and friendly tone.

Nick scoffed, Judy chuckled and Vivienne turned around hiding a strangled laughter in her paws, with shaking shoulders.

"Dontchu call me adorable, cute lil'bunny, if you don't wanna have yo'ears tied into a knot. The name's Finnick."

The deep voice of the fennec took aback Judy's parents. He wasn't really upset, being used to people thinking he was fox kit.

"But you can call him toot-toot." blurted Nick who had placed himself near Judy, before falling into a fit of laughter, quickly followed by his mate. Vivienne was holding herself to the screen, biting her fist to contain the laughter.

Finnick reached for Judy's parents paws and shook one after the other.

"Are you guys finished ?" He asked.

"Ha ha, ow ow" Nick put a hand on his bandaged ribs. "Hurts like a bitch." Despite the pain, he continued chuckling , slowly calming down.

"Oh, our daughter talked to us about you." said Bonnie to Finnick "You were Nick's hustling partner."

"Yeah, now I'm his mom's" he sent an annoyed glance at the chuckling red fox.

"She hustles with you ?" Asked Judy's father with incomprehension on his face.

Vivienne, who had calmed down, came to her mate, leaning behind him and kissed his head. "You can say it like that. We're together."


	6. To Take Care of Their Own

_Short chapter, so at least two others this week.  
_

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** I think sometimes people get to a point when they stop accepting shit from anyone ^^_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I'm not done with the emotional rollercoasters, though the next chapters should be a bit more tame. And about Judy leaving the force... Well that would be telling..._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 6** : To Take Care of Their Own  
_

 _Friday the 18th of January 2019_

Everyone had found a place to sit. Nick had used the wheels on his bed to approach it to Judy's, Vivienne and Finnick were sitting on it. Nick was sharing his mates bed, lying at her side. The two other bunnies were on the other side of their daughter large bed.

"So, I'll have to spend a week in bed. Nick said he would take care of me, and then I'll start reeducation. There is not much more to say. This is going to be boring."

"And what about the hospital cost ?" Asked Bonnie.

The bunnies looked at each other, worried. It was true that their farm was making them more than enough money to live comfortably, but hospital expenses were another matter.

Nick took out one of the paper the doctor had given him. "With the operation, hospital room and meds, we're talking about at least 80 000 dollars. If not more. And I'm not even talking about the reeducation."

"Oh, dear." Bonnie put a paw to her mouth.

"We'll make a loan. It's going to be okay." said her husband pulling her to him in a reassuring embrace.  
Vivienne got down from the bed she was sitting on, took the sport bag she had brought and came back to the other mammals.

"No, you won't." She threw it between the bunnies and Nick opened it. Under a bunch of old clothes, probably belonging to his father, he found a huge pile of cash.

"We're paying for this." said Nick, with a smug smile.

"What ? How ? We can't let you do that !" Said Stu. "It's our daughter. It's a family's job to take care of their own."

Nick gave him a sly grin.  
"Then I'll just have to marry your daughter. That'll make me part of her family."

Judy's parent's mouths fell agape.

"Nick, I can't accept this."

"I'm not aiming to let you chose wether or not I'll pay for your health expanses. I'll just do it." Nick had put on a serious face. "I couldn't protect you, let me at least do that for you."

"I'm not talking about the money, although it bothers me a little bit, I know you will do what you want. I can't let you marry me now. I want to be able to stand and dance with you for our marriage."

"So, let's say, we do that after your recovery ?"

"Full recovery."

"So we have time to prepare, get really used to live with eachother."

"And possibly move from your apartment. Oh, and you'll have to propose me in a more official and romantic way. Half-naked in a gown in front of my parents is not how I see the perfect proposal."

"So I'll do that at-"

"Nope, don't tell me. I want it to be a surprise."

"Deal."

They shook on it. Bonnie's and Stu's mouth were still agape.

"Hey Stu, I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand, if that's okay with you."

Nick's grin was even wider that before. Judy was wearing the same expression.

"Vi, I think the bunny is learning from yo'kit."

"Zootopia is so fucked."

The bunnies finally got out of their torpor.

Bonnie pinched her eyes and Stu's filled themselves with tears.

"My little girl is getting married." he said with a happy sob.

Bonnie turned to her husband with an irritated look. "And that's your reaction ?"

"What ? You know what marriages do to me."

"We can't let them rush into it !"

"Mom, it's at least a whole seven months away. And even more with the preparations." half-joked Judy.

Bonnie lifted her paws and eyes to the ceiling.

"And what's next, adoption ?"

"What a great idea !" reacted Nick. "Can we adopt a baby elephant ? I want a little toot-toot !"

Judy chuckled.

Bonnie pinched her eyes again. "Could we please refocus on the issue of you paying for my daughter's hospital stay ?"

"Sure." Nick's grin had receded into a polite smile.

"We can't accept your help. Not with this much money. It's as simple as that. It's not- it's not proper."

Nick sighed. Judy looked at her mate. On one hand, she was bothered by the idea of Nick spending this much money on her, but on the other, she knew it would be hard on her parent to find such a sum. She couldn't decide which course of action was the best, so she decided to sit this one out.

Vivienne broke the silence. "Bonnie- Is it okay if I call you Bonnie ?" the bunny nodded "Bonnie, we're foxes. We don't give two shits about 'proper'. My son is offering to pay for this, and you should accept. If you can't see it as a loan with zero interest."

"Though knowin' him, there ain't no way he'll letcha pay him back." added Finnick.

Vivienne smiled. "That's true. It's not a battle you can win. He's even more stubborn than me." She put a paw on Bonnie's shoulder. "I'm a mother too you know ? I understand, I'd want to take care of my kit myself too. Would I be in your place, I'd react exactly the same, but it's not about who should or shouldn't pay. When a mammal gives you a helping paw, you should take it. Trust me."

Bonnie's mind went blank, it couldn't take everything in. In the same day, her daughter had been wounded, she had opposed her, and now foxes were making the most generous gesture any mammal had ever done to her family. "I-I need to g-go freshen up." She hopped from the bed and slowly made her way to the bathroom. Soon they heard sobbing coming from the other side of the closed door.

"Dad, shouldn't you go comfort her ?"

"No, she must take this all in by herself. Nothing I'd do right now could help her. I know her."

"You're taking this rather well mister Hopps." remarked Nick.

"Huh ? Yeah. I suppose, but to be honest, I think it's the most rational decision to make. We don't have this much money at the moment and we can't let our daughter fall into debts because of this." The male bunny sighed and took an inspiration. "I'm sorry if we weren't the most supportive of you two at the burrows. You're a proper mammal if I ever met one." he shook Nick's hand again with gratitude.

Once more, Judy was discovering new facets to her parents. She had never seen them confronted to such an extreme situation and she was surprised to see how cooly her father took it all. Thinking back, her mother had always looked like the couples' anchor in the day to day life, but her father was the one to take the bull by the horn in difficult situations. Sure, he was prone to let his emotions show, but he didn't let them impair on his judgment on important matters.  
Bonnie came back from the bathroom soon after. It was obvious she had cried, but everyone was delicate enough to not mention it. Stu kissed her on the forehead in comfort and she got back on Judy's bed.

"Sorry about that. It was a lot to take in."

The mammals stayed together for a while, talking about their respective lives. Judy's parents were surprised to see that although Nick and Finnick had had an outlaw activity for quite a long time, they had no trouble getting along with Judy and her strong sense of justice. She had always had a strong attachment to rules and regulations, sometimes to the point of being a bit of a pain in the ass for her siblings, but it seemed the time she had spent in the big city had loosened her a bit.  
Nick discovered that Judy's parents weren't mere farmers as much as efficient business mammals. It was obvious in hindsight, their company employing much of their large family, they had to be efficient in administration and management. It was strange how professional they could seem while talking about their business but utterly lost when dealing with Judy.

Vivienne, for her part, told of her experience as a parent and vixen in the city. Although Finnick had helped him keep tabs on her and he knew how fox had to struggle to maintain a steady job, it was strange for him to hear about it from the mammal in question. She had worked as a waitress, barmaid, and currently cleaned rooms in a cheap hotel owned by a pair of raccoon.

Eventually the discussions died down as the hour grew late. Judy was feeling a bit drowsy from the meds and a nurse had brought Nick's evening meal.

"Well kids, I'm working tonight and tomorrow, so I'll let you be." Said Vivienne, getting up from Nick's bed. "Do you want me to leave the bag Nick ?"

"No, I need to sign some paper first and talk with the hospital's financial officer before paying him."  
Judy's parents stood up in turn.

"We need to go too, we're going to have to find a hotel for tonight."

"No need, you can stay at my flat." Nick smiled.

"We don't want to intrude, hotel is fine with us." answered and embarrassed Stu.

"Nonsense spending money on this. If you don't want my generosity, you can still pay me rent for the night." He hopped down from Judy's bed and let escape a groan of pain as he landed "Owh ! Bloody ribs !", he limped to the phone hanged to the wall and took out his own phone, browsing his directory. He turned to the Hopps before calling "But you already know I won't accept your money." he winked.

The phone rang a few time before it was picked up. "Hey, Clawhauser, how is it going ?"

"Nick, oh my god, are you okay ? Is Judy fine ? I learned about her leg ! It's horrible-" The cheetah's tone was panicked, Nick tried to reassure him.

"Relax big cat. Carrot's alright, leg glued back in place, but no hopping around for now. She's resting but she's okay. Bullets only grazed me, I'm perfectly fine. Listen, I need to ask a favor."

"Sure, anything."

"I'm sending you the Hopps, could you be your usual adorable self and give them the set of key I left in my locker ? So they can stay in my flat for tonight."

"Sure thing Nick."

"You're the best Ben. Have a nice evening."

"You too."

The fox hung up the phone and went back to the beds.

"So that's settled. You're staying at mine."

"There is bunny-friendly food in the fridge, so don't hesitate to dig in." added Judy.

"I see you spend a lot of time at his apartment." Said her mother incredulously.

"At our apartment, you mean." She smiled. "I moved in last week."

"And you didn't tell us ?" She frowned.

"I thought I'd wait a bit for you to get used of the idea of him and me dating."

Her parents gave an embarrassed chuckle.

The Hopps hugged their daughter and Nick, waved at Vivienne and Finnick and left the room.

Vivienne hadn't moved from the side of Nick's bed. She smiled.  
"Are all bunnies that complicated ?"

"No, we Hopps like to set records."

She hugged her son and Judy and left the room in turn, Finnick following her after having said good bye.

"Well, that was eventful. Almost more tough than getting shot." Joked Nick.

"Almost yeah."

"By the way, sorry but I'm going to eat my food before it goes completely cold."  
The food was tasteless, like most hospital food, but it wasn't the worst meal he ever had, so the fox didn't complain. He ate quickly knowing that his mate wouldn't have anything to eat for the next few days. After that he went and lay down next to her.

"I hope It doesn't bother you that I sleep here."

"The bed is big enough for both of us."

It wasn't that late, but even with how long Judy had slept under surgery, she still felt tired. Nick flicked the lightswitch near the bed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders in a cuddly embrace. She turned her head and breathed in his chest, taking is scent. She felt that it gave her comfort.

"G'night sweetheart."

"Nighty-night Nick."

They quickly slipped into slumber, their presence reassuring each other.


	7. The Most Efficient Way

_I felt a bit guilty about the precedent chapter, since it was so short. Well, this one is massive, so..._

 _A big 'Thank you' to ** _Fox in the hen_ house ** and **Foxlover91** for their reviews, but I don't have anything to answer to them this time. Sorry :)  
_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7** : The Most Efficient Way  
_

 _Saturday the 19th of January 2019_

The hallway was long and dimly litten. The walls were blank, naked, clean. So clean they made her uneasy, sending shivers down her spine. A shriek, in the distance made her lift her head. Someone was hurt and afraid and she had to help them.

She began running, as fast as she could, the white walls blurring around her. The hallway seemed to get longer as she ran, but she ended up reach the corner. In front of her stood two metal black doors. As she was about to open them, they flew open. She jumped back, avoiding getting hit, and rolled back, quickly getting back up. On the other side of the door were darkness, emptiness. The promise of pain and fear.

The shriek was heard again. Louder, closer. It came from her left and she turned around. She was now in the street, she saw a silhouette slumped against a police car, a paws held against a bleeding wound. It was a fox, wearing a terrified expression. Facing him wear two mammals, guns in their hand, slowly raising them in his direction. The scene slowed down, seeming to fall into a pool of dense water.

She reached for her gun but it was missing. No matter, she was close enough to leap and get the fox out of the way, as she had retained her normal speed.  
She kept running, confident that she could save the vulpine, but suddenly her left leg gave in, a sharp pain stopping her from moving. As she looked down on herself, she saw that she missed her hinder left paw, and that blood was quickly flowing from the stump. She tried to crawl, screaming in pain and dread as the two attacker still raised their gun to the slumped fox. He turned to her, and although she couldn't hear him, she could read his lips.

"You can't help me."

She heard the two loud detonation and saw life leave the body of the wounded fox.

"Nick ! Niiick !"

She tried to straighten, slightly moving her leg, sending spikes of pain in the wound. She opened her tear-filled eyes and saw a silhouette above her and two paws firmly holding her against the bed.

"Nick ?"

"It's me carrots. Everything's fine."

"Nick, you're alive !"

She raised her paws to him and he hugged her.

"Of course I'm alive, silly rabbit. You were only-"

"-Having a nightmare."

Nick as always was impressed by how quick her brain could be fonctionnal after being awake for so little time.

He kissed her on the forehead and nuzzled her ears, tickling her. She chuckled.

"Yep, you were having a nightmare. Want to talk about it ?"

He sat behind her, lying her head on his stomach and giving her a relaxing massage.

"There isn't much to tell. I was in the hospital, I heard you screaming and tried to come to you. When two mammals killed you, I was unable to save you because my leg was missing. Standard stuff."

"Yeah I'm sure everymammal dreams about losing their leg and mate every night."

"I mean, compared to what happenned. To be honest, I expected something like that. I even expected that you would wake me and not the opposite." She taunted.

"I'm not an emotional rabbit like your are." He retorted in a joking manner but she could hear that there was something else under his tone. She chose to not answer anything, to see if he would talk about it. "Okay, I admit, I had a nightmare too. I'm surprised I didn't wake you up, actually. But you were sleeping so deeply that I think even if the building went down, you'd have stayed asleep." He deliberately omitted to mention he had had it several time. She didn't need to know.

"What was you dream about ?"

Nick stayed silent a bit. She couldn't clearly see him, but she felt he was tensing up.

"Your funerals." he simply stated. She heard his throat tighten. She took his paws from her shoulders and wrapped them around her chest. "It was horrible" he continued "people kept coming to throw dirt on your casket. And each of them said something like 'she wasn't cut out for this after all' or 'if he had been a proper cop, he could've saved her'" His tone was still even but she felt a tear fell on her head as he had leaned over her, hugging her from behind. She pulled on his arm and made him come around her, putting his head on her chest. "And how could I say they were wrong, you were shot because I couldn't react as quick as I should have." Still, his tears were flowing but his voice wasn't breaking.

A strange feeling washed over her. Nick was opening to her like he had never done before, showing emotions. It felt good, but at the same time, she could see his emotions and scars ran more deep that she had thought. An abyss of which she couldn't see the bottom yet. It scared and reassured her at the same time, he was only a mammal after all.

She caressed his head. "You're a real cop, you're a great cop. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"It's not anyone, it's me. I can't keep thinking that I should've been faster, that I could've acted sooner. The moment I saw that van, I knew something was wrong." he sighed "I'm a cop for all the wrong reasons. Sure I'm good at it and I like helping mammals. But I became one only because I wanted to be near you and prove the world I could be doing something honest. That fox were worth more than the low-lifes everymammal think them to be."

She cupped his chin with her paw, raising his head so he would face her. Although it was dark in the room, she tried to lock her gaze into his. Nick, as a fox, could perfectly see her. "Nick, listen to me : you saved my life. If you hadn't been there, I would've lost more than my leg. If it weren't for you, I would've died yesterday. And I don't care that you've become a cop for the wrong reasons. You're doing a good job, you're doing way more good than bad."

"But if it was for me, you wouldn't have been shot in the first place !"

"And then what ? I got shot, you got shot. You're my partner and my mate. We have eachothers back. I saved you, you saved us. Simple as that."

"But is it- am I-"

"-Good enough ? You're doing way more than most mammals ! To me, you're far above good enough." She chuckled "What became of my cynical fox ? You care way more than you want to show."

"Don't tell anyone." He smooched her on the nose, tickling her "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

"The same thing I did to deserve you, you saved the city." she smooched him back.

He brushed her snout with his, hesitant. Finally, he kissed her. There was love and care in his kiss, but less passion than she was used to. She felt something else, something faint. It was lost between emotions, between sadness and hope, a sort of promise between them. It was pulling at her subconscious and instinct, slowly growing inside her, like a thing they could share, something that only them could understand.

Before he even did, she felt he was about to break the kiss. She raised a paw and caressed his cheek. Nick felt his mind and instincts acting up. An important sensation lost in the kiss. He felt they would never be able to break that connection, like it had created a link that would always pull them together.

It had felt like an eternity and the fraction of a second at the same time. They pulled away, their breath short. They both felt different. To Nick, it felt like the bond strengthening but to Judy, the sensation was new and different, like a bright pulsation echoeing the pounding in her chest.

Nick kissed her nose again and chuckled.

"What's so funny ?" she asked.

"I think you're infecting me, getting emotional and all."

"That's called opening up to someone."

"It was your plan all along, you sly bunny."

"You finally figured it out, you dumb fox."

"First you hustle me for help, then you hustle for my heart, now you hustle for my mind. Is there anything I'll have left in the end ?" He asked in a playful tone.

"Me."

The fox chuckled again. "Just when I thought I couldn't get more cheesy, you come and outdo me." He rolled on the side, Judy turning her upper body slightly to face him.

"I was serious."

"Do you think I wasn't ?" He approached her and kissed her again. "I love you Judy Hopps."

"I love you too Nicholas Wilde."

They hugged for a bit until Judy broke the silence.

"Sorry about waking you up, I hope it was not too early."

"You didn't wake me up. It's around 8AM. The nurse already came, gave me my breakfast and checked up your stitches. She left your pills on the table. I'll go fetch them for you."

Nick got down from the bed and approached the table.

"Could you bring the chamber pot too ?" she asked, embarassed. Nick flicked on the light so they would see what they were doing, gave her the pills and helped her do her business. He came back from the bathroom where he had emptyed the pot with a basin and washcloth.

"I think I'm going to wash you while I'm at it. The nurse explained me the procedure while you were asleep."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea, even if I don't feel filthy yet."

"Trust my predatory nose, you are." he taunted her.

He got her out of her gown and began by cleaning her injured leg around scared area, using the holes in the plastic printed cast. He then washed her other leg. After that, he washed her head, playfully tickling her ears several times. Slowly working his way down, he stopped around the bottom of her belly.

"If you're incomfortable, I can manage this part myself." said the bunny.

"I was actually going to ask you if you were okay with me doing that."

An awkward silence followed.

"I already have the washcloth so..." He continued washing her. Judy felt a bit embarassed but also relieved that this didn't turn into an argument of sort. She could already picture them bickering, her saying how she was totally okay with him doing it and him saying he wouldn't be upset if she didn't want him to-

Nick felt judy tensing. He slowed down his move and she relaxed, a few second later she tensened again.

"Are you okay Carrots ?"

"Sure, no problem." her voice was a bit strange. He continued his move, she got tense. Was she blushing ? A grin began appearing on his face.

"Carrots ?"

"Yes ?"

"Are you enjoying this ?"

Her face immediately shot red.

"I think I'm clean enough now." she answered in a meek voice.

"Are you sure ? I think I should give it one or two more rubs." he said, grin still in place, acting upon his proposal. A quiet moan came from Judy's lips. He nibbled at her ear. "Should I stop ?" he whispered to her.

"Don't you dare !" Her paw clenched on his shoulder as she shot him a predatory glance.

 _Sheesh carrots, with eyes like this, you'd melt Tundratown._

He was kissing and nibbling at her neck while her moans were becoming louder and louder, her paws hooked to his fur as she was struggling to not move her legs.  
They heard knock on the door, nick only had the time to sit at her side with an innocuous expression and pull the sheet on her while she feigned being asleep, trying to calm down.

"Hey guys, How are you doing ?" Asked the chubby cheetah that had entered the room.

"Fine Ben, and you ?" asked Nick with a perfect pokerface.

"I'm good. Is Judy still asleep ?"

"Nope, just relaxing, my leg is hurting a bit." She lied. Well, her leg was hurting her a little bit so it wasn't an outright lie.

The chubby cat hopped on the bed, which was large enough for a hippo, making himself comfortable.

"So how are things going in the precinct ?"

"Good, but a bit gloomy since- well you know." The feline looked at the bed and saw the basin and washcloth in it. "Oh you were occupied."

"Nah, we had finished, I was about to go empty it."

Nick didn't lose the confident smile but Judy blushed, which the cheetah didn't miss. Something was afoot, he smelled the air in the room, a grin slowly creeping on his face.

"Guys ?"

"Yeah ?"

"Did I interrupt something?" He was wearing a blend of laughing and embarassed expression.

It was the second time in less than fifteen minutes that Judy turned completely red. "Yes, and if you could give us five minutes so we could-" she blurted before putting her paws to her face stopping dead in her tracks.

Nick's poker face shattered as he looked at her with his eyes wide open. Clawhauser looked at her with the same expression.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't have my hormones suppressants yesterday." she said in a meek voice.

"Did you see some among the pill the nurse brought ?" asked Nick.

"Nope."

"Are you going to be okay ?"

"Yeah, as long as no-one 'provokes' me."

There was a bit of an awkward silence between the three mammals. The cheetah chose to switch topic, sparing them from further embarassment.

"You guys are good ? I know you'll have to spend time in the hospital Judy, I hope the leg's not hurting too much."

"It hurts less than I thought it would. I think the bullet destroyed a lot of the nerve endings, but I can already feel my foot a bit." she said, moving a toe.

Nick hopped down from the bed and brought back the basin and washcloth to the bathroom.

"That's good. Chief Bogo talked to me a bit about it. I hope the transplant will take. To be honest, he sent me here. Someone's covering my shift."

"Oh ? Why ?" shouted Nick from the bacthroom.

"Well, I couldn't really make it because of my hours this week. The visiting hours being limited in the security ward, there was no way I'd have been able to come otherwise. He also asked me to check if there was no one else than you in the room for now." He said, while taking out his phone and sending a message via the wifi.

"Why ?" asked Judy, surprised.

"I don't know. Seems He wanted to talk to you about something important." He glanced at his phone screen. "He'll be here in two minutes."

"Am I the only one to feel like all of this is really strange ?" asked the fox.

"You don't know everything. He actually made Snarlov and Rhinowitz swear to not talk about your state to anyone. Not even at the precinct. His official version is you being into a coma, Nick."

"What ? What the hell ? That's crazy ! What's the point ?"

"I don't know. Actually, I think if he allowed me to see you, it's because he knew I wouldn't buy it, you having called me and all."

"Still, that doesn't make sense. Why would chief Bogo do that ? It's the best way to destroy morale at the precinct. Especially if he can't allow visits. How can he hope to hide this anyway. There are doctors and nurses that have seen him awake. He can't hope to keep everyone's mouth shut." Judy was fuming.

"I really don't know. I find it a bit scary. I hope he knows-"

There was a loud knock on the door and the buffalo, a file under his arm, entered the room, followed by sergeant Blackfur which was carrying three large folding chairs with the hospital logo. The three mammals turned to them, with wide eyes but otherwise blank expression.

"Officer Clawhauser, thanks for your time. You can go back to your duties. And not a word about-" He pointed at Nick with his thumb.

"Sir, what the hell ?" Nick's voice interrupted. Chief Bogo gave him a glance, the kind that said 'not right now'. Judy didn't catch it so she talked in turn "What is this about Nick supposedly being in a coma ?"

The chief slowly felt his anger rising. It really wasn't a good day, and he knew it would only get worse. He didn't need their- well, any kind of attitude right now.

"I too find it very strange sir. What's going on ?" Asked the pudgy cat.

"I do not have any explanation to give you. Please leave the room." the chief said in the most calm voice he could muster. He clenched his teeth, hoping the feline wouldn't insist. But he did.

"But sir, I don't think it's-"

 _Do not get angry. Firm. Not angry._

"I don't care. Leave. The. Room." The chief's tone was beyond firm. Any mammal could hear the spikes of anger in the chief's voice. He stared at him with cold eyes. The cheetah felt a shiver in his spine. His shoulders slumped and he went to the door, waving to his friend.

Usually, the time would be a bit more diplomat, but this time he just needed his officer to quickly obey orders.

"Bye guys."

"Bye Ben see you later."

Blackfur unfolded the chair and sat on one, while the chief sat on another.

"Hello chief Bogo, hello Sergeant Blackfur." Nick's tone was respectful but Judy could hear the icy glazing. He seemed to not have appreciated how the chief had dismissed the cheetah.

Judy simply saluted, nodding to the chief and the sergeant.

"Hello officers" answered the panda, the chief simply raising a hoof while trudging in the file, putting the sheets in order.

The chief's attitude started to slowly annoy Judy too.

"Are we waiting for someone else, sir ?"

"Yes, he should arrive in about a minute. How are you two doing since yesterday ?"

"We're fine sir. What was this about Nick being supposedly into a coma ?" Judy was trying keep a calm expression, but the anxiousness was obvious in her voice.

"I'll explain all of it when our last guest will be here."

Just as he had stopped talking, a knock came from the door. It opened on a bunny, which calmly walked in.

He was a grey bunny, with unusual stripes coming from the back of his head to the middle of his cheeks, and one in the end of each of his black tipped ears. He was wearing a simple suit with buttonned shirt, but no tie. To anyone, he looked like he was wearing a mask of confidence but to Nick, it was a mask of nothingness. He hopped on the empty chair and sat on it.

"Officers, this is agent Jack Savage. Mister Savage, here's-"

"Lieutenant Judith Laverne Hopps, Corporal Nicholas Piberius Wilde and Sergeant Wight Blackfur. Let's get right to business, time is a precious commodity."

Nick went from wary, to downright disdain. He didn't like the bunny. At all. Something in his demeanor crept him out. He looked in his eyes, to trying to gauge him. Still nothing. The bunny held his gaze a bit. Nick finally found something. There was danger, something his instinct were never wrong about. But it faded as soon as the bunny turned his eyes to Judy, like he was gauging her in turn.

Judy heard a slight growl coming from her fox, she instinctly put a paw on his thigh to calm him, and the growl receided.

The chief seemed oblivious to the incident. He began speaking.

"Officer Hopps, officer Wilde. Everything that we're about to talk about can in no way leave this room. It's a matter of security for the whole city. Am I making myslef clear ?"

"Yes sir !"

"Good, mister Savage, I'll let you tell your part."

The rabbit scoffed before beginning to speak."Approximately 8 months ago, I discovered through my contacts that a new drug was being created, and I'm yet to find the way it's distributed, if it is, which is another matter altogether. And I'm fairly certain that it's partially made with a mix of cocaïne and Midnicampum Holicithias, also known as nighthowler. Since you were both responsible of the rise of power and ultimate downfall of ex-mayor Bellwether, I suppose you know what application the plant in question can have. Now, a new drug and new ring of cooks and sellers wouldn't usually be much of a problem. A few nudges here and there, and the new market would join the other. But it's not only it. There has been mammals under the influence of this new drug going wild and shooting at people. And mostly at cops. All those drugged mammals having been able to put a paw on a gun too, is to me far from a coïncidence. And to add to the strangeness of the situation, Bellwether's been kidpnapped, and most probably killed, since all the blood in her cell was hers, just as those drugged mammals appeared in all corners of the city, leaving trails of chaos in their path, and killing several officers. To me, it all point toward a form of conspiracy." The bunny made a slight pause, looking at both the mammals facing him, leaving his eyes planted on Nick's. "That's why I came to recruit you , officer Nicholas Piberius Wilde."

"Recruit me ? I feel flattered, but as you see, I've been wounded. I can't really help you right now." Nick's tone was icy. He didn't like the bunny, he didn't like his tone and he didn't like all the secrecy. "I don't even know who you work for. You're certainly not ZPD."

The stripped bunny took-out a plaque. "I'm ZIA."

Judy's eyes shot wide open, but Nick stayed unphased.

"Right. Of course. And what ? You want to recruit me into the ZIA ? Aren't the drug's big cases usually the DEZA's problem ?"

"It would, if it was a drug case. But it's not."

"I'm not going to enlist into the ZIA. I'm here to help mammals, not spy on them."

"You're here because of your relation to Judy Hopps." There was a grin in the corner of the bunny's mouth, Nick was sure of it.

The growl came back, louder this time. How could he let this bunny get to him ? The growl recedded once again.

"And why do you need me, is this case too big for a little bunny ?"

Chief Bogo cut in.

"Officer Wilde, enough." he hadn't shouted but his voice was louder than usual "Agent Savage came asking for your help, and even if you have the possibility of refusing, I highly suggest you calm down and listen to what he has to say."

"Thanks mister Bogo." said the bunny, "No, this case isn't to big for me, but it would highly help me to have a fox partner for reasons I cannot divulge to the people present at the moment."

"And why can't you ?"

"Because the more they know of this operation, the more they, and it, can become compromised."

"Then what can you tell us agent Savage ?" Asked Judy, adressing him for the first time.

"What I can say to you is this. This will be an undercover operation. It will be dangerous and it has more chances of failing than succeding. It means Nick's life will be constantly at risk. He'll have to change his identity, which only us will know about." He made another pause and glanced at Bogo. "I think I said what I had to."

"Yes, mostly. As Nick's superior I have a few things to add. First of all, this operation could be long. As far as estimation goes, we can speculate about 4 months, maybe even more. Blackfur will also be your liaison in ZPD, so she'll be able to give you all the information she has access to as well as ensuring your psychological monitoring."

"It's something I could take care of." Said Jack.

"I want someone in house to do it."

"You don't trust me."

"I don't trust the ZIA."

"That's fair, the ZIA doesn't trust anyone."

Nick lifted his paws as to interrupt them.

"Guys, not that I don't find all this business to be utterly hilarious, but how can you hope that I could get undercover ? My face's been on TV, and I'm not even speaking about the people on the underworld that actually know me. Anyone with half a brain will blow my cover in less than a second."

"You'll bleach your fur grey, trim it around your face an put contact lens on. And about you being in the hospital, a few photos and video leaked to the public and we're set."

"Huh, clever, but I could do better. I have a look alike in this city, I could take his place."

"Whoever he is, he's linked to you, it would be a liability."

"Fine. But don't think I've accepted to help you yet. I still have one more problem. I don't see how I could go four months without seeing Judy." He put a paw on her shoulder and she squeezed it lovingly. "I'm bound to her."

"That's not an unusual problem in undercover operation." Said the ZIA agent. "Though, we've never had to deal with a fox's bond. We can arrange safe-houses for your meetings with your psychological monitor, twice a month, and have you meet your mate. From that point you'd be able to do whatever you want." Nick heard the slight tinge of aversion from the bunny.

"Seems like you have something against Judy and me being an item."

"I do, but it's inconsequential."

"You're right. It is."

Nick knew he shouldn't but something in the bunny's attitude made him want to antagonize him.

"I think that's all we can divulge without you having accepted the mission." Said chief Bogo cutting short the discussion before an argument could arise.

Nick thought about it for a second befire speaking again. "I want Judy kept in the loop of the case evolution, to be part of my liaison and the investigation on your end."

"We can't accept that officer Wilde." Firmly answered Jack savage. "She's emotionally involved with you, and I know first hand of bunny's emotions."

"Maybe, but she knows me better than anyone, she knows how I think and she's one of the best detective in the ZPD, even if she doesn't officially exercise this function." He looked chief Bogo in the eyes with a smirk "Yet."

"She'll be in reeducation-"

"If you could stop talking about me like I wasn't there, I would highly appreciate it." she cut, in a sharp tone. "I don't like what is happenning here, I don't like the idea of Nick going undercover, and frankly, I'm totally against it. It's too risky, and even if I know you're a good hustler, I'm afraid it could prove to be too much for you." there was worry in her eyes as she directed them in his.

"I know it's scary, but honestly it seems to be the most efficient way to get to the bottom of all this." Answered the fox.

"There is another way. We can work with the ZPD, follow the regulations, minimize the risk."

"Miss Hopps, I think-" began the male rabbit.

"I don't care what you think, agent Savage." She answered in a brusque tone she rarely used. "What matters is my mate's opinion. So, what do you think ? Let's do it our way." She gave him an hopeful smile.

"I'd usually agree with you Judy. Really I would. And trust me when I say I really don't want to partner up with this guy. He's way less sexy than you are." he joked, slightly defusing the room's tension. "But people's lives are at play, if those criminals want to eliminate pred-haters as they did with Bellwether, a whole lot of mammals could lose their lives. And it's my duty as an officer to stop it. And if it means going over a few rules and regulations to do my job... Well you know me."

He was right, deep down, she knew it and she hated it. But it was the reason she had fell in love with him. His heart was in the right place, he was ready to risk his own life to do what was right.

She kissed his hand, that was sitting on her shoulder, as sign of approval.

"But all this means nothing if they don't respect my request." he added.

"Officer Wilde, you know I can't accept this." said Bogo.

"Chief, she will do what she wants, whether you want it or not." the cape Buffalo was slightly taken aback by his officer openly going against his refusal. "So you better do what you can to monitor her activities, which means probably making them official. Because trust me, if something happens to her because of this investigation that could have been prevented if you had given her officers to watch over her, you will regret it." The cape buffalo lifted a brow, was the fox threatening him ? "And I'm not talking about what I would do, I'm stating a fact." The fox's posture shifted, slightly leaning forward with a grin "You actually _will_ regret it."

The grin on his face was the sly one, but more cunning, more devious than she had ever seen him wear.

The buffalo sighed. The fox knew what string to pull, and how to drive a point home.

"Alright, Judy will work on the investigation, but only as soon as the doctors let her leave the hospital. And she'll have to be supervised by two other officers as long as this investigation takes place."

"Mister Bogo, it seems like a mistake to me." Interveined the agent.

"Having her in the ZPD seemed like a mistake to me. Those two spend their time proving everyone wrong, I'll give them the benefice of doubt."

"Then it's settled, I accept the mission. When do we start ?" The mask of warmth and confidence was back on Nick's face.

"First you'll have to sign this." The chief stood up and gave a paper and a pen to Nick.  
The rabbit and fox read the document.

"What-"  
"-the actual fuck !"

In substance, it was a paper stating that Nick had every authority to act as he saw fit, in the context of the case. That included being pardonned of any crime he could commit while undercover. It was essentially a licence to kill.

"Nick, you can't sign that !"

"Judy, just because I sign it doesn't mean I will act upon it." he whispered. But himself wasn't so sure he should accept those terms.

Judy's head shot up, looking at the male bunny with narrowed eyes.

"Did you sign one ?"

"Yes but not the same one. Mine is a bit more permanent."

"How many mammals do possess this autorisation ?" Asked Nick.

"Beside me and officer Wilde, only two other mammals since the creation of the ZIA. The archive on the first ones have been lost" They could hear the hidden meaning of the sentence. "And the second one, twenty-five years ago was a white bear, now defector, covert name Koslov, codename Snowstill."

Judy and Nick looked at eachother.

"What ? Koslov is ZIA ?"

"Was. He defected. He's partly responsible for Big's family rise to powesr, under our orders, and I'm fairly certain the shrew knows of everything. I'm the third agent having signed this paper, I've done so eight years ago." The Judy and Nick understood it, it meant that though there were other agent, none had that level of clearance.

The fox signed the paper.

"You'll have to call me Nick if we're to work together."

"No I won't. You'll be given a covert identity and codename. You'll be to use this identity as soon as you'll get it and change your appearance accordingly. Your codename can never be used by yourself in the presence of anyone beside the people in this room and others of my choosing. I'll come get you at the end of the week, so be ready. Have a nice day officers."

The bunny hopped down from his chair and left the room, without a glance to anyone in the room.

Silence fell on the mammals. The buffalo pinched his eyes, breathing by his nose. "I really can't stand the ZIA."

The chief stood up in turn. "I've said what I had to. Sorry if I don't stay, but I have other matters to attend to. Officer Wilde, I'm still waiting on your report. If you could also help officer Hopps write hers, it would be great. Officer Blackfur will stay, she still has things to tell you on the psychological side of your involvement. Now good bye and have a nice day."

Blackfur stayed behind as he left the room.

"I have a few things to say and recommandations to make, Nick. Do you wish to go somewhere more private ? This could get a bit personnal."

"No, whatever it is, I want Judy to hear it. I have a question though, were you transferred to Precinct One in preparation to this operation ?"

"I don't think so. Although I already played an informal role in psychological support for my fellow officers in Rainforest, I actually volonteered for a position here. My ancient precinct's chief encouraged me to it, though. I also find all this way too coincidental."

She took a look at the file the chief had left her.

"First of all, know that your family will be informed of what you're doing. Not in details, but your mother will be told about you in a coma being a cover story. I'll add your friend Finnick to the list and Judy's parents, since they already saw you in good condition. I'll have them sign forms about not divulging anything about your state beside what will be said in the story that will run in the news." she glanced at a paper and went back to the fox. "Now, I don't need to give you a psychological exam, I've observed you enough as you were working at the precinct to know what I need about you."

Nick kept the confident mask on and looked at the panda and then at her mate.

"Am I this easy to read ?"

"No, but she's really good at noticing things, you can ask Wolford." Answered the bunny with a little smile.

"I studied psychology too. Now, what I can say about you is that you know how to play a role. You're really good at masking your intentions and creating plans on the fly. Those are good qualities that you'll have to use a lot. But I'm more concerned about your sense of justice. You hate oppression and violence and can't stand to see mammals crushed under other's authority. And you like even less being on either side of those kind of interaction. I must warn you, you'll see a lot of it, and you'll have to take part in it." She sighed "To be honest, I'm against you doing this too. There is high risk you'll snap and blow your cover in a situation like this."

"I know how to control myself and keep in character."

"Do you really ? It took you less than two day to ditch your hustling life to help officer Hopps."

"It's different, I fell in love." he said, scratching lovingly Judy's shoulder. She nudged his chin in return.

"Then you let emotions dictate your actions." The fox was about to retort but the panda lifted a paw. "I'm not criticizing, to me it was something good in that specific situation, but I need you to be aware of all the risks involved and all the ways you could compromise yourself."

"And the investigation." added Judy.

"Right now I'm his psychological support and monitor, I don't give a crap about the investigation. I suppose I don't need to go more in depth about you're psyche-profile, I know you introspect more than you show. Your humour will be a good safeguard too, so don't lose it." She took another sheet of paper. "Now, to go on a more heavy topic, the repercussions of staying undercover too long."

"Isn't that something you should've talked about before Nick accepted the mission ?" cut Judy.

"Maybe, but I didn't want to talk about his psyche-profile in front of agent Savage, and those two topics being linked... Besides, I doubt it would have had any impact on Nick's decision." she smiled.

"You're right on that."

"I'll even go as far as guessing that he had made his decision the moment agent savage said he couldn't divulge more as long as Nick wasn't on board."

Nick chuckled, not denying nor confirming.

"Besides, he can still change his mind. So about the risks, a long time undercover can lead to major changes in one's psychology and behaviour. Side and long-lasting effects can include PTSD, since you'll do and see things you won't like, and DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder. Managing two identities at once and keeping track of your lies will drain you. You'll build relationships during this operation, that although based on lies, will result in true emotions and attachment. Chances are, you will build friendships with people you will have to bring down afterwards. And your personnality will most likely be affected."

Nick's mask was still on but he felt a cold sensation in his spine.

 _Judy fell in love with the fox I was, and that I am now. If I become someone else, could she really keep on loving me ?_

"Together we will be able to get through this." assured Judy, but he had heard uncertainty in her voice.

"I think so too." confirmed the panda "Nick has lived twenty years as a con-mammal, and even if I doubt he ever went into really deep criminal activities he always retained a sense of honor. I can see him getting out of this in one piece, but it won't be easy."

Nick felt Judy's graps on his paw tighten, he squeezed her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. "We're going to be okay."

"Of course we are." she made a pause. "Wait, as I understand it, the longer one goes and stays undercover, the bigger the psychological risks and damage are. This Savage guy is doing this for eight years ! How can he still look so... Normal."

Silence fell in the room.

"I couldn't take a look at his psyche-eval. But from what I've seen, he's far from being balanced. He seems really cold, untouched by the situation."

"Untouched ? Do you think I tried to provoke him just for shit and giggles ? He's completely numb to... Anything."

"I was aware of your intentions. He wasn't even phased by your attacks. Be careful though, it doesn't mean he doesn't care. He could prove to be even more dangerous than the investigation." the panda put back the sheet in the file. "But enough on this matter. Do you have any question about what we've just discussed ?"

"Nope."

"Nothing comes to mind."

The panda stood up. "Then I'm off, Wolford is waiting for me, have a nice day and try to rest. I'll tell the officers in charge of escorting your visitors to give you thirty minutes to breath just in case, to take this all in."

"Good bye officer Blackfur."

"Bye Wight."

* * *

 _Hey, it's our boy Jack Savage ! I'm sure you were all wondering when he'd show up._


	8. Only so He Could Be Happy

And theres is your new chapter. Did you miss me ?

 _ ** _Fox in the hen_ house ** : Funny how everyone usually hate Jack Savage. Maybe it's because he's an ass in most stories (and maybe he's one in mine too...). And, oh yes, Nick being undercover is going to be very interesting °w°  
_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** Are those bigotted views, or is there anything else ? I'll let you readers decide. Sometimes, I like to simply not explain things.  
Yes things are going to be hectic for Nick. Is he going to be okay ? Have you read the last seven chapters ? :D  
_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 8** : On so He Could Be Happy  
_

 _Saturday the 19th of January 2019_

After the panda had left, a strange silence had fallen on the room. Judy broke it.

"Nick, are you sure you want to do this ?"

"No, I don't, I don't even like the idea of doing this."

"You could have refused." She let her face rest on his chest. "You sould have refused."

"If it's the fastest way to get to the bottom of this, then I think it's worth it."

"Do you really ? I don't want you to become an empty and emotionless machine like this Savage guy."

"Hey Carrots." he said, caressing her cheek. "Don't worry. It's me remember ? I'll be ok."

"I know it's you. That's why I worry." she looked up to meet his eyes. "I know you're tough. You're more tough than people realise. But you're less than you think you are." She sighed "Let's not have this conversation. If you're going to do it, you'll need all the help you can get, and I must support you." she breathed deeply, taking back the tears she felt wear rising "And I think, even if it goes against the things I believe in, you're actually the only one that could pull it off without too much collateral damage. You'll find a way to do this without harming any other mammal. I know you will."

Nick kissed her head. He was afraid he had made the wrong choice by accepting to be part of this operation, but knowing he had her support gave him strength.

He playfully nuzzled her ear, sending a ticklish sensation down her spine.

"Nick, stop." she giggled.

"Would you rather have me do this ?" he leaned her head back and planted a smooch on her pink nose.

"You're impossible."

"Impossibly charming" he tried to smooch her again on the nose, but she moved her head, and their lips met, turning the innocent kiss into something a bit more passionnate. He felt one of her paw reach up, and pulling him in front of her by the gown with a strength he didn't think she could have in her state.

"Woh, easy fluff-butt. You'll hurt yourself."

She planted her eyes into his. "I think we have some unfinished business, you and I." she pulled him forward and gave him a burning kiss. Nick's mind went to a total stop for a few seconds, trying to grasp what was actually happenning. His senses were completely overwhelmed, focused on only one thing. Her. He returned her kiss, trying, and failing by a hair, to match her intensity. She felt his hand caressing her, sending shivers of craving into her body.

The fox moved back from her, a devilish look in his eyes.

"Nick, if you think of leaving me like this, I swear to god-"

"No, actually I have an idea." He lifted the sheet, and slowly kissed her chest, getting down to her belly. "I need to pratice." he added.

Between two moans, she was able to ask "Practice what ?"

The devilish grin was still there. "Going undercover."

"Nick, you dumb foOOooh sweet cheese and crackers-" She felt him caressing her thighs and firmly holding her injured leg, keeping her from moving. It was a good thing, because what he was doing to her made her lose all control, tensing all muscles in her body. Nick heard her moans going louder and louder and suddenly stop. He risked an eye up, slightly lifting the sheets, and saw her holding a pillow on her face. Seeing as his actions had the desired effect, he kept going for a while. All the tension in her body suddenly doubled, and he heard her voice trough the pillow and sheets. There was a ripping sound, and she slowly went limp, her chest heavily rising as she was trying to take back her breath.

He crawled back up with a statisfied smile, lifting the ripped pillow from her face, discovering her expression of utter bliss.

"You okay, carrots ?" he asked smugly.

"amperfecl'fine" she mumbled. Nick repressed a chuckle.

He had lied down at her side, on his elbow, a finger running on her shivering belly.

"I had never tasted bunny before."

"wuzzitastelike ?"

"Lust."

He didn't make a move to avoid the half pillow that landed on his face. He rid himself of the bundle of fabric and feathers, approaching his bunny, wrapping her in a loving embrace. "I think I finally get why my ancestors were chasing after bunnies..."

She lost herself in his fur and scent, having momentarily fogotten about all their problems. Nick was perfectly relaxed, until he felt a paw playfully brush his tail.

"Judy ?"

"Yeah ?" came an falsely innocent voice.

"You know, playing with my tail isn't the best way to let me relax."

The brushing became somewhat more sensual.

"Maybe I don't want you completely relaxed yet."

Nick straightened up, taking a look at her with a puzzled expression. "You want round two ? Already ?"

She nervously played with her paws, a blush of embarassement slowly creeping under her fur. "Hormones." she answered in a meek voice.

Nick chuckled, carressing her cheek while nibbling her neck "You know, I'm always up for some bunny-hopping." at the joke, she gave him a light punch. "But this time,

I don't know how we're going to do this..."

"Very carefully ?" She proposed.

...

Nick had been very careful, and there were now two mammals with stupid smiles plastered on their faces lying side by side in a large hospital bed.

"If you want my opinion, my ancestors were stupid to run from your kind."

"Ditto." He chuckled.

"On another matter, I think you'll have to wash me again."

"Sure, because we both don't know how it will end."

"Actually, I think the half-hour Blackfur left us is nearly up. We won't have time for round three. And I feel sticky."

"Okay, understood."

Nick came back with the washcloth and the basin, giving her a quick wash, being careful as to not send her back into full hormonal rabbit mode.  
Nick had gotten back in the bathroom to take a shower. Someone knocked at the door.

"Yes, come in ?" answered Judy. Her parents entered the room. They seemed way more composed than the day before but couldn't completely hide the worry on the expression.

"Hey Judy." greeted her mother.

"Hey Jude the Dude !" said her father a bit too enthusiastically.

Judy's mother looked around and saw that Nick was not in sight. She approached the bed and gave judy a little box of medecine. "I found this on the headstand. I suppose it could be useful." Judy looked at the box and recognized her hormonal suppressants.

"Thanks mom !" she said, immediately taking one, trying to hide her blush.

Both of Judy's parents hopped on the bed, at the same moment Nick went out of the bathroom.

"I knew I heard someone !" he said in a cheery tone. "Hello Hopps." he added, as to greet them. He joined them on the bed, sitting next to his mate. Only then he noticed the disorder of feathers and ripped pillow which was still lying on the bed.

"What happenned here ?" asked Bonnie.

"I had a nightmare, ripped my pillow in half while sleeping."

"Sheesh Jude, seems all that police training wasn't for nothing. Pillows have another coming for them if they think they can mess with my girl." Laughed Stu. But at his expression, it was obvious he was worried by his daughter having nightmares.

Her father had bought the lie but her mother gave her a suspicious look to which she responded with the most innocent smile she could muster. If her mother had another theory, she didn't bring it up. Instead she asked.

"Judy, Nick, an officer went to find us at your home. He made us sign some sort of paper about not telling anyone of Nick's true condition and that if someone were to ask, we'd have to say that all we knew is what the news say. What's all this about ?"

The fox and bunny looked at eachother. There were nothing they could tell them. Judy spoke "Mom, dad, I wish I could tell you, but I can't. The most I can say is that it's job related. It came as a shock to us too."

Nick saw that Judy hated to hide things from her parents. Her ears had slopped on the side of her head and she looked distressed. He scooted closer and wrapped her in his arms.

"That's all right Judy. We expected as much, though it doesn't really ease our minds."

As Stu had stopped talking, the door flung open and a obviously anxious vixen entered the room.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, what the fuck is this about you being supposedly in a coma and me having to hide the truth ? Care to explain what the bloody hell this is all about ?"

Behind her, Finnick waved at them with a half-apologetic smile.

Nick repressed a chuckle "Mom, mind your language in front the sensitive country bunnies. And we're in a hospital, so no shouting. By the way, aren't you out of work a bit earlier than expected."

She approached the bed, her attitude unchanged, but she spoke quieter "Do not sass me. What the fuck did you do this time, young man ?"

"Mom, calm down. I did nothing. This is part of the job, and I honestly can't say anything more about it."

It was obvious Vivienne wasn't satisfied with this explanation, but she knew enough about her son to believe he wouldn't give her anything more to chew on.  
Silence fell on the room as Vivienne and Finnick sat on the bed, next to Judy's parents.

"You're like your father, you'll do whatever you want without asking or caring about anyone's opinion. I don't know what's happening or what you're doing, but I hope it won't come back to bite you in the ass."

"Hey dun worry Vi, the kid's clevah. Whatever is happennin', I'm shure he knows what he's doing." Finnick wasn't really reassuring his mate as much as he was trying to get Nick to do so himself. But the red fox didn't answer anything.

Finnick's face fell as he best friend stayed silent. "Nick what the fuck ?" he silently articulated, so Nick would be he only one to read his lips.

"Yeah mom, don't worry. I'm gonna be fine."

"You better be, I already lost a husband, I won't lose my son a second time."

"What happenned to your husband, if you don't mind my asking ?"

"Stu !" Bonnie reacted, elbowing him in the ribs.

 _So that's where carrots got it from._

"Sorry, I was just curious."

The vixen looked around. Nick face had slightly fallen and Finnick was fiddling his paws uncomfortably. Stu seemed embarassed as he had asked a personnal question and Bonnie was looking at him sternly. Judy was trying to hide an interested look.

The vixen sat more comfortably and stretched her back.

"It's fine. Beside, I'm fairly certain Nick hasn't told Judy yet. He should have though, it's not really a secret."

The bunny nodded but said. "You don't need to tell us about this. I'm sure it's personnal."

"It is, but since I'm here and so are your parents, I think it would be good for you like for them to know where we all come from. Settled down kids, it's story time."

Nick sighed. He didn't want to recall this. It was one his most painful memory, stowed away on the shelves of his mind, side by side with the scout event. To tel the truth, it was a story he had wanted to tell Judy for some time, but he had never found the right time or even the strength. Being able to delegate this task was freeing. He had never heard his mother's side of the story either, and he didn't really care if the Hopps learnt about it. After all, they would eventually become family too.

"It begins about fifteen years ago. I think most of you know by now that Nick had left me and my husband's home when he was twelve." Everyone nodded. Nick wasn't surprised to see that Judy's parents knew of this. It wasn't a secret after all, he simply hoped she hadn't talked about the scout event. That was his and only his to share. "Well, as it happenned, this moron thought it was his place to help provide for us, so he sent us bucketloads of money each months. I still don't know how the hell a kid his age could earn this much." She made a slight pause, looking for her words.

"My husband and I were never very rich so this money could have made our lives much easier. But we refused to use it since our kit couldn't benefit from it either. So we were stuck with debts we couldn't pay and money we couldn't use. It's funny in retrospect. " she said, giving an ironical chuckle.

"And then my husband had this idea. To use Nick's money to open a tailor shop. It had always been his dream, and he was fucking talented. I still wear most of the clothes he made me. John wanted to open this shop and offer Nick a job. Since our son wouldn't come back as long as he wasn't a proper mammal, what better way to make him come back than to help him become one ?" She looked around, and saw Judy's parent hanging to her every word, tears filling their eyes.  
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Nick spell "emotional bunnies", but she could see himself wasn't okay.

"We had a huge fight over the use of the money. To me, there was no way we could use it, but Nick's father said that since it was to help build our son's future it was worth it. I told him he was twisting it that way to fulfill his own dream. Even now I still can't bear the thought to use what's in the shoebox, it felt like stealing. I still can't decide if he was right to do so, but I regret that it ended up deviding us. He slept on the couch for a few weeks and then, when he was able to find someone willing to sell him a place, he slept on a couch in the back of his shop." She wiped a tear from her eye.

"After that, he worked a lot, trying to make a name for himself. He wasn't earning much, but I could see it slowly working. We even started to talk again, I sometime came to the shop to see how he was doing. Then, he was making well enough to offer Nick a real job." she sighed, and made a pause. Judy could see the vixen steeling herself in anticipation of what she was about to tell.

"And of fucking course, that's when things could finally start to get better that shit hit the fan. John fell sick. Cancer. Fucking cancer. You know what's funny ? Thanks to Nick, we would've had the money for cancer treatment, but it spread so quick the doctor didn't have the time to do anything. I could only contact Finnick so Nick would have time to talk to his father one last time." All the bunnies were silently crying now. Nick had placed himself behind Judy, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her parents had their face buried in tissues, ears slumped back.

"I couldn't bring myself to meet Nick. I felt guilty. I felt guilty about Nick leaving, I felt guilty about rejecting my husband, I felt like he wouldn't have fell sick if had been more understanding, a better mother, a better wife. Like karma had found the most twisted way to punish me. I'd have lost my kit, and now, it was my husband's turn. Nick stayed in his father's room for an hour and when he left, John was sleeping. He seemed at peace, happy. I don't know what Nick said to him, but he did something I'm sure I would've not been able to."

Judy felt Nick's throat tightened befor he began to speak. "I felt guilty too. I felt I had broken his heart, both your hearts, that I was the reason he was dying, that if I had stayed he wouldn't have had this cancer. He didn't ask anything from me, we just talked. But in the end, I said-No, I promised to him that I'd come back to you, even if I knew I wasn't going to. At the time I thought you'd blame and hate me as much as I did myself. I lied to him only so he could be happy. Be at peace."  
Everyone was in tears now, Nick barely containing his sobbing.

"You Wildes and yer bloody twisted sense of logic." said Finnick discreetly wiping a tear. "He wos my friend too, ya idiot ! Why'd you need to lie to him on his death bed ?"

"Because saying the truth would've done nothing good. Simple as that."

"Then you should've gone back to her, you moron." almost shouted Finnick as he had gotten up. "I should've forced ya. Fuck, I'm as much of a moron as you are." the fennec voice died, as he had clenched his fists.

"It's okay Fin." she put a soothing paw on his shoulder "He did good. Seeing John with a smile, a more real smile that the ones he had worn in years. It was good. At the time, I truly felt like I had lost Nick forever, so if the last think he did for me was leave a smile on John's face, I was happy. John died soon after, it was Finnick who organised the burial. I couldn't."

"You did ? I didn't know." said Nick.

"You were so down the drain after yer father's death, I didn't wannit ta weigh on ya at the time."

"The burial in itself was horrible. So little people showed up."

"Mister Big came though." said Nick "Never knew how him and dad knew eachother."

Her mother glanced at him "He made him some of his suits I think. I didn't know you had come."

"How couldn't I ? I was hiding behind a tombstone. I almost came to support you but Finnick was there for you, so I didn't. I paid my respect when everyone was gone."

Judy knew before that Nick had a tragic past, but this was beyond what she had expected. She would've crumbled into pieces if half of it had happenned to her. When she had met him, she thought no one could get more cynical and pessimistic. But he had been way better than what he could've been in retrospect.  
Judy saw her parents pull Vivienne into a hug to comfort her, tears pouring from their eyes. She repressed a chuckle when she saw the vixen patting their back with a sad smile.

"Nick, why everytime we see eachotha' it systematically turns into a sob fest ?" ask the fennec, while giving tissues to the Hopps.

"Beats me. Maybe bunnies are simply an easy crowd. Owtch, hey easy on the ribs carrots."

"Sorry."

He kissed her between the ears. "I'm okay. And besides, I'm glad we had this sob-fest. I never got to now mom's side of the story."

"You didn't really give yours." Remarked the bunny in his arms.

"There isn't much more to tell" he stated, not trying to hide anything "Dad was dying, Fin came and told me, I came and I soothed his last moments with a lie. And I was a complete wreck for a couple years afterward." he shrugged.

If it had come from any other mammal, with the tone he used it would've looked like he was past it. But she could see the scar ran deep, he was simply good at brushing it off.

Judy's parents tears finally went dry and they noticed they were hugging Nick's mother.

"Sorry about that m'am." said Stu.

She gave them a warm smile.

"No harm done, I had never been hugged by bunnies before. I see what you find in it, Nick." she winked. The three Hopps' face immediately shot red. Finnick snickered and Nick nibbled at Judy's ears.

"You have no idea."

Vivienne was obviously trying to lighten the mood, and Nick was glad to help.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers" said Bonnie, completely embarassed.

"Well," said Stu "I can understand what Judy finds in foxes." added Stu in a joking tone.

"Dad !"

"Stu !"

 _Thwack_

"Owtch" Stu was now scratching the back of his head in pain, and Bonnie, face red with embarassment and annoyance was staring at him. "I deserved that one alright." he turned to his wife with an apologetic look "You know I only have eyes for you."

"You better." she said, holding him by the collar, and giving him a kiss on the snout.

"Oh, I can see the predatory bunny now." joked Nick. "Not that I have never seen one before." he added nuzzling at a blushing Judy' neck.

"Are all foxes like this?" she asked, lifting her eyes at the ceiling in a desperate tone.

The conversation had switched to more cheerful topic, everyone was having a good time chatting when Vivienne interrupted them looking at her wristwatch.

"Oh shit, I'm going to be late for my afternoon job." She put a peck on Nick's forehead and waved at the rest of them, Finnick following her. "You don't have to come with me Fin."

"I'll accompany you to the ZUG station, I'll come back here afterwards."

Only two minutes after they left, a knock came from the door. A cheerful and round cheetah face appeared. "Hey guys !" He was holding a large white box. Judy and Nick rightfully assumed it was full of donuts.

"Hey Ben !" answered his friends.

The pudgy cat looked at the two other bunnies on the bed. "Judy are those your parents ? They look just as cu- nice as you !"

The two bunnies were taken aback by the overly cheery's feline attitude, and his body shape. They had never seen a fat cheetah, they couldn't even imagine that such a thing existed. In a motion way to limber for his looks, he hopped on the bed, energetically shaking Bonnie and Stu's paws. "It's so nice to meet you ! You must be Stu and Bonnie, my name is Benjamin Clawhauser. Ben for shorts." They didn't have the time to react as he opened the donus box in front of them "Donuts ? The orange ones are carrots-glazed."

Stu and Bonnie looked at Judy who nodded with a smile. They each chose one and the feline turned to Judy. She raised a paw, refusing "Sorry Ben, Can't eat, doctor's orders." His shoulders slumped, it seemed he had brought them to cheer her up, he then turned to Nick. "The brown ones are caramel flavored, I know you don't like carrots. I hope you can have one." The cheetah was as thoughtful as ever. Nick smiled "I love Carrots, but only the grey one." he felt a playful nudge on his ribs and a loving peck on his cheek. The fox took a donut "Thanks Ben." The cheetah left himself fall on his rear in a comical sitting stance and chose a carrot-glazzed donut.

"I can't really stay long, it's my lunch break. I simply wanted to make sure you guys were okay." His friend heard the subtle underlying implication of his sentence. After Bogo had sent him out rather coldly from the room, he had been a bit worried for them. "I hope what you and Bogo talked about wasn't too grave." Here also, there was something underneath his tone. But it wasn't a question, the cheetah had been a bit shocked and saddened by the chief's attitude. He knew she shouldn't have insisted and hadn't had the occasion to apologize for it since. His friend had picked up on his sadness, but couldn't really say anything, since what they had discussed had to stay secret.

"No, don't worry Ben, only some administrative stuff, and something about psyche-monitoring us about the shooting." Judy lied. Nick felt uneasy. He felt like Judy had picked up on his habit of hiding the truth to protect others and himself. Of course, she couldn't tell the truth, but he thought the lie had come way too spontanuously. It wasn't a road he wished she took. He sometimes believed she was too innocent, but also rather liked this aspect of her.

"Yes Ben, nothing to worry about."

The door opened again, showing Finnick. The fennec didn't have the habit to knock on door, not having lived in a house for a long time. Clawhauser turned around and Judy could see the squeele building up on his face.

"Ooooooh what an adorable little guy ! Is it your little brother, Nick ?"

The Hopps used their ears to cover their faces, half-embarrassed, half-laughing. Nick couldn't repress a chuckle.

"Is it a big fella's prerequisite ta call all lil' mammals adorable ?" The fennec's expression had turned to annoyance. "Swear on me mum's name, next one ta'call me adorable eats mah fist. Nick, shut up. Just because ya wounded doesn't mean ah' won't punch ya."

The pudgy cheetah's jaw fell. "Sorry, I didn't know you were an adult, I thought-"

"Don't worry, I ain't mad. The fat rabbit behind ya made da same mistake. He still in one piece." the fennec hopped back on the bed and shaked the paw of the shocked mammal. "The name's Finnick !"

"You're Finnick ? I should've known, Judy and Nick talked about you."

"Yep, he's the one with the van."

"The one with the awesome paintjob you showed me on your phone ?"

An idea crossed Nick's mind. "Yup, he did it himself." he said.

The cheetah's eyes shot wide open. "'Really ? Are you parked near ? Can you show it to me ?"

"Right now ?"

"Oh pleeeease, my lunchbreak is over soon."

Nick gave Fin a thumbs up. The fennec shrugged. "Why not. Follow me fat cat." He left the room followed by a wide smiling cheetah.  
Judy's parent watched him leave with a puzzled look. "Is he always like that ?"

"To be honest, he seemed a bit off to me." anwered Judy.

"Yeah, he looked a bit down." added Nick.

The two rabbits looked eachothers in disbelief. They turned back to Judy and her mate. Bonnie spoke "By the way, we'd really like to stay, but there are loads of work to do on the farm and we really need to get back there to coordinate. We've left in too much of a hurry. We're leaving Zootopia this evening."

"Judy, you're sure you don't want to be transferred to a hospital a Bunny-burrows ?" asked her dad. "Only while you heal, so we can take care of you.."

"Thanks dad, but no. I obtained from chief Bogo to get back to work during my recovery, and I can't really do that from the burrows."

"You what ? But you can't work in this state !"

"It's only desk work. Nothing physical. I'm dedicated, not stupid." she joked.

"Trust me, without her, the precinct and the city would fall apart." Added the fox.


	9. A Long and Painful Death Sentence

_**Fox in the hen house :** Those predictions weren't all true. It could be better, but it's still a passing grade 12.5/20 :)_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** Ben is a character that I really like, but he's sadly no spotlight material in this story. For now. I'm going to give him some more stuff to do later on._

 _Oh, for those of you that are still wondering, most of Part 2 was planned since chapter 3 or 4 of Part 1 were written. This sentence may give you insight on what's coming. Or maybe not. Probably not. Who knows ?_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 9 :** A Long and Painful Death Sentence_

 _Sunday the 20th of January 2019_

Clawhauser was at his desk. It had been three days since all hell broke lose in the city. People were scared, he could see it on the street. Mammals were looking over their shoulder, glancing suspiciously at every one they didn't know. It was different from Bellwether's case. This time, preds weren't targetted by the people. It was the poor, the junkies, the outcasts. The marginals, already usually looked upon had seen their life fall even lower. The number of beaten hobos had climbed, people making their own brand of justice, despite the efforts of the ZPD.

Mayor Swinton had held a press conference to encourage the people to hold together, to stay united and to remember how things had gotten bad under the rule of Bellwether.

In three days, much hadn't radically changed, and with the public faces trying to maintain the order, Clawhauser believed things could go back to their mostly calm selves. In his idea, Judy needed to quickly get back from the hospital and make a public speech. Even though everything hadn't been perfect for preds, since her last official apparition, the violence and racism was clearly on the downward slope.

The chubby feline, as he was sitten on his chair behing his desk, felt lost in a hazy fog. He didn't really understand what was happenning in his mind. The truth was, his optimist outlook on life had been dampened by the recent events. After the crisis from two days ago, he had a hard time focusing on his work. The precinct felt alien, the state of panick had been gone as quick as it had come. It could all seem like a bad dream if he hadn't been able to pick up the stigmates of it on his coworkers. They felt tense, stressed. Even Wolford, usually cheerful at the idea to go on patrol seemed to fake his enthusiasm.

The pudgy cheetah shook his head, putting a paw on a file on his desk. It was daily reports he had to give to chief Bogo. He didn't know why he shuddered at the idea of coming into the buffalo's office. It was usually a place he felt safe in. He felt stupid, the chief's attitude toward him at the hospital didn't mean anything, he was only under a lot of pressure. People under pressure could easily snap at little inconvenience and to be honest, he had already forgiven the bovine. Still, he felt uncomfortable. He didn't look forward to go up at the end of his shift.

"Hello Ben."

The cheetah's head shot up at the sound of the feminine voice. It was FitzAntlers.

"You're usually ready to go when I arrive."

He looked at the time, his shift had been over for two minutes already. The deer was slightly late, but he knew she would compensate by coming in earlier the following day.

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts, I have this file to bring up to chief Bogo and I was checking if it was ready."

"You want me to bring it to him while you prepare ?"

The feline thought about it. Not going into the chief's office was tempting at the moment, but he really wanted to see him and apologize.

"No, you know the chief, he can be a bit stiff about who should do each task." The feline had already began packing his stuff into his satchel.

"True. Well, I'll install myself."

The feline quickly finished to put his stuff in order and took the direction of the stairs. As he approached the dreaded room, and felt a weigh on his shoulder. He put his most warm smile on his face and knocked on the door.

"Come in." came the stern and deep voice.

The feline entered the room and approached the desk.

The chief had his head resting on his hoof, elbow on the table. In his other hoof, was a glass half-filled with an amber colored liquid. The cat noticed a whisky bottle on the desk. He tried to hide his surprise. "I have the daily report. I'll put it here." he said, sliding it on the desk. The chief didn't answer, looking at his glass, a slight motion in his wrist.

The chubby officer didn't want to pry, but he couldn't stop himself from asking. "Chief, are you alright ?" .

The wrist motion stopped, but the chief didn't look up nor did he answer.

Is he really upset with me ?

The cheetah tried to keep his composure and took a step back. "You look preoccupied. I'll leave you to your thou-"

"Would you like a glass of whisky, Ben ?"

The chief rarely used his subbordinates first-name. Clawhauser had only heard him do so once or twice off-duty. Since himself was technically off-duty, he tried to think nothing of it.

"Uhm, I don't really-" If he would try and apologize to the chief, refusing a glass maybe wasn't the best course of action. "Why not ?"  
The buffalo took out a second glass from his desk and filled it half-way. He made a motion from his other hoof to invite the cat on the seat facing him and slid the glass on the desk to the pudgy officer, who took it.

The buffalo raised his glass with an absent expression.

"To what do we drink ?" asked Clawhauser.

"To what should we ?" The voice had its usual stern tone.

"To Nick and Judy quickly getting back at the precinct ?" Proposed the cat. He noticed a sudden imperceptible tension in the chief's demeanor. The buffalo raised his glass, as to approve and took a sip. The feline did the same and couldn't hold back a wince. Whisky was definitely not his thing. He steeled himself and took another sip. He looked up and caught the glimpse of a smile in the corner of the chief's mouth. It gave him a bit of courage, enough to begin speaking.

"Chief, I wanted to apologize."

The buffalo's right brow lifted ever so slightly.

"About the event at the hospital, I shouldn't have insisted about-"

He heard something like a scoff coming from the chief. He was scratching his forehead with his hoof, glancing at Clawhauser. The feline could discern something in the chief's eyes, a mix of annoyance and something he couldn't quite make out. Strangely enough, the cat didn't feel the annoyance was aimed at him. The chief downed his drink and put loudly back the glass on the table, filling it again.

He mumbled something the feline couldn't hear, as he got up from his seat, approaching the window and resting his left forearm on the upper frame. The cheetah caught himself staring at the muscular silhouette cut out in the setting sun light. He didn't know why, but the chief seemed tired to him. He slumped down from his seat and placed himslef next to his superior.

The buffalo had lost his gaze in the city's buildings as he spoke.

"If anyone has to apologize, it is me. I snapped at you yesterday for no reason other than my stress. So there it is. I'm sorry Ben."

The cheetah was barely able to keep his jaw from falling. "You- you don't need to-" he began, embarassed.

"I do."

A silence lingered between the two mammals.

"Then I forgive you." said the cheetah in the most firm and serious tone he could muster.

The chief took another sip, contemplating the city's landscape.

"My city is in shambles. Or it's about to be. People are scared, and I can see things coming. Bad things. Like we've not seen since the fundation of the city and the control-collar act."

Clawhauser's grandfather had talked to him about the act. At the city's beginning, when prey and pred tried to begin living openly together, there had been a few acts in question to ensure the prey's safety. One of those was the control-collar act. Pred having to wear electric devices to calm them down, in case their emotion got too high. It sparked riots and street fights. In the end, the law wasn't adopted, but it left scars in the generation that had lived in fear of it.

"Why do you think so, sir ?"

The buffalo couldn't give a complete answer, it could reveal elements of Nick and Jack's operation. He sighed.

"I feel it in my guts. Do this job long enough and that's something that comes with it." He took another sip. The cat took one too, pulling another wince from his face.

"I'm tired Ben. Whatever we do, it never seems to be enough. And this time, I must admit I'm afraid I won't be up to the task."

Even coming from the chief's mouth, the cat didn't believe for a second that he could fail the city. That to him felt like an impossibility.

The chief felt a paw on the forearm. He surprised himself by accepting the comfort it brought him.

"I don't think this city can fall as long as you are its police chief. If you can't prevent it, I don't believe anyone can."

"No pressure." Chuckled the buffalo, taking another sip. Clawhauser hadn't answered yet and chief Bogo glanced at him.

The feline's expression was cheerful but his tone wasn't "I'm serious."

The chief downed his second glass and turned toward the cheetah, meeting his gaze. He put his free hoof on the feline's shoulder.

"Too often, I take the support you bring to m- to this precinct for granted, Ben. I don't say it enough, but I think you're a great officer."

It had come out of nowhere. Clawhauser mind went blank for a few second, trying to process what had just happenned. It wasn't completely unusual to the chief to

pay a compliment to his officers, but it usually came with some sort of snarky remark or critic. Not this time however.

"Thanks chief." he answered in a meek voice, blank noise filling his brain, and a strange warm feeling washing over his mind.

The buffalo patted his shoulder. "Off you go now. You shouldn't stay here when you're off work. Even great officers need their rests." The chief took back the second glass as the cheetah went toward the door, trying not to stumble.

"See you tommorrow chief." he was able to mumble.

"See you tommorrow, officer Clawhauser." And just like that, the chief was back to his usual formal self.

* * *

 _Sunday the 27th of January 2019_

The next week had gone by quicker than Nick and Judy had thought it would. That wasn't a surprise to them though. Having to share a room alone for a week was far from their definition of hell. Of course, they missed their job, Judy having the most trouble with inactivity. Even though they were both worried about the doe's injury, they found comfort in eachothers presence.

Vivienne had come to visit a couple of time, but Finnick hadn't been able to make it as much. According to Nick's mother, he was busy working on something. Nick hoped he wasn't in over his head on a new hustle.

There had been discussion on where Judy should stay when she would leave the hospital, since it was risky for her to live alone due to her condition. The solution of their predicament had been simple, since Nick wouldn't live in his flat for the next few months, Blackfur decided to crash at his, since she and Wolford would be the liaison with Nick and the official investigating team on Bellwether's abduction.

At first Judy felt embarassed by the idea, but the motherly panda bear had convinced her it was the best altenative. Beside, her own flat was a shoebox she meant to leave and she'd welcome the change in scenery.

Nick and Judy were cuddling in bed, such was how they spent most of their days since they had been in hospital. Half-way through the week, Wolford and Blackfur had come to stage and take some photos of Nick in a coma. Some of them were supposed to be leaked two days prior to him getting out of the hospital. It had taken a bit of time, Nick not being able to stop himself to do faces and play with the medical equipment borrowed to make it more authentic. In the end, they had around two dozens photos and four or five shaky videos. Enough to leak at different periods of time if need arose.

Now they were dozing off in bed, after having finished both their reports to chief Bogo.

They heard a knock from the door. They unstuck themselves from eachother's while their visitor entered the room.

They recognized agent Jack Savage who was carrying an oversized suitcase.

"Hello officers." he flatly greeted.

"Hello agent Savage." they answered in an uncertain tone.

They hadn't seen him since they met five days ago. The bunny hopped on the bed and gave the suitcase to Nick. The fox opened it an trailed through its content. There was a flip phone, a map with multiples markings, ID papers, a directory book, a bundle of money attached with a rubber band, a set of keys, a fur bleach kit, a contact-lense box, a set of black clothes, a gun in a holster and a telescopic baton.

Judy's eyes widen at the sight of the content.

"What's in there is your 'undercover kit', the map and directory contain information that will prove to be useful. The ID papers are your new false identity." There was an ID card, a driving licence and a piece of paper with a single word marked on it : 'Jaeger'. According to the ID, his name was Frank Grayfox. There was a photo of a light-grey furred fox with brownish eyes.

"Jaeger is your codename. The money is what you'll be provided for the first month. If you need more, you'll have to find some on your own. The flip phone's sim is paid by the ZIA, you can't take your personnal phone. You'll find a few names and phone numbers in the book, 'psycho' is for officer Blackfur, 'bouncer' is for officer Hopps, 'Herd-head' is for chief bogo. Mine is 'Rodent'. Undercover, I go by Jack Savage."

Nick had guessed Savage wasn't the bunny's real name.

"Too bad I can't go by Nick Wilde. Team 'Wilde and Savage'... It has a nice ring to it." Was it a smile that had crept on the corner of the agents mouth ? No, he was imagining things.

The bunny continued "The set of keys is for your new place. You're lucky, it's one of our undercover safe-houses so no rent to pay. You'll have to learn to use the bleach kit by yourself, use it for you face, back and tail. Never forget to put on your contact-lense before going out." Nick didn't like the idea of bleaching and damaging his fur, but it was for a good cause. He hoped his vision wouldn't be impaired by the lenses.

"The gun is unmarked. Nine millimeters. I know it kicks more than what you're used to, but trust me when I say you want the firepower. There is also a baton, even if I highly suggest you spend some money on a big knife."

"No taser or tranq-gun ? " asked Judy.

"Where we're going, one's means of defense must look lethal, even if only for the deterring effect."

The more she learnt about the operation, the less the doe liked it.

"I'll come get you tuesday at 7AM. Be bleached and ready."

The male bunny left as silence fell on the room. Judy looked at Nick, trying to decipher his expression as he detailed each of the suitcase's items a second time. She could see the slight shift on his composure, the most obvious was when his gaze met the gun. A mix of uneasyness and fear.

"Nick ? Are you okay ?"

Nick shrugged. "I don't know, a sociopathic bunny just gave me the date of beggining of what could be a long and painful death sentence. You tell me." His sense of humour had taken a turn for the darker. It was a coping mechanism she already saw him use, and she didn't want to get used to it.

Nick took the gun out of the brief case. There was a few full mags with it, some of them filled with blank round, for pretending to shoot at innocent mammals he supposed. The fox put one in and armed the gun.

"Nick ?"

He took aim at the wall. Nothing. He felt alright. He took out the mag, took out the blank bullet from the chamber and put it back where it came from. He took a live round mag, put it in the gun and armed it again, aiming in the same place.

"Nick, what are you doing ?"

Nick felt a slight tremble in his arm. Not something alarming. He thought the shooting event would replay in his mind, but it didn't.

"I'm testing." he answered, putting back everything where it belonged.

"You're afraid that the shooting would-"

"-haunt me? Yeah. It doesn't seem to, though. And I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"You can't be sure until you get into a real situation again." she stated.

Nick turned to her with a raised brow.

"If you're trying to reassure me, you're not doing a great job." he joked with a half-smile.

Judy stared at him "I didn't mean it like that ! I mean, I don't think you're numb to what you've done, maybe it hasn't completely hit you yet."

"So you mean that I'm in some state of denial, and will probably snap at the worst moment ?" He asked, his expression slowly falling.

"No I meant that I think you're perfectly fine and not sociopathic or-" Judy felt panic rising, she had a point but is was hard to convey, and she wasn't sur the fox could understand it now. She caught the gleam of mischief in his eyes.

"Nick are you toying with me ?"

He smooched her on the nose. "I can't help it." He took out the bleaching kit and closed the suitcase. "I got what you meant, it was a hard situation that no mammal would know how to handle, and though it hasn't hit me as hard as it could have, doesn't mean I'm an imbalanced individual. Oh and that it doesn't mean it couldn't come back to hit me unexpectedly later either."

Judy looked at him in disbelief before kissing him back. "It's frustrating when you know what I mean better than I do."

"That's why you love me !" He said, nudging her cheek with his snout.

"I love you despite that, sly fox." she answered, giving him a light punch.

The fox slumped from the bed with the bleaching kit.

"You're going to do that now ?"

"Why not ? It will leave you a day to get used to it."

The fox stepped into the bathroom. Judy heard some fur scratch noise, a lot of swearing and the sound of the shower. A few minute later a foam covered fox got back.  
"Fear me, I'm the foam monster !" He was walking with arms and legs spread appart so the foam would stay in place.

Judy, still in the bed, giggled at his sight.

"Aren't you suppose to get rid of the foam ?"

"Nah, it must stay in place at least 10 minutes. The thing also gives a greyish color to the fur. Our good agent knows his way around fur-bleach."

"So you'll have to stay in this position for ten minutes ?"

"Yep. Good thing my wounds are almost healed, I'm sure this would've hurt like a bitch. I'm getting back in the shower, I don't want to foam up the whole room"

A few minutes later, a white-greyish fox came back from the bathroom. He looked really different, but his emerald eyes made it easy to recognize him. Nick took the contact lenses from the suitcase a put them on. He put on a mask of seriousness and turned to Judy.

She had a shuddering reaction, but with a bit of focus, she could see her fox underneath the disguise. For anyone else, it would be unnoticeable. He hopped on the bed and approached his bunny.

"Hello miss, my name is Frank Grayfox."

"Hello Frank, my name is Judy Hopps."

She gave him his hand and he kissed it.

"Charmed to make your acquaintance miss Hopps. Are you coming here often ?" he winked

"Only when I lose a leg."

The fox had to keep himself from wincing at the dark joke. "I see. And how come you're alone in here by yourself, I can't imagine someone like you could be left alone."  
He approached and gave her a peck on the snout.

"Mister Grayfox, I find you quite daring." she cooed.

"Please call me Frank."

"Only if you call me Judy."

He gave her a deep kiss, which she return twofold. She felt his paws on her but she slightly pushed him back.

"Nick, if we're going to do this now, I need you to put away the lenses."

"But miss Judy, I'm not Nick, I'm Frank."

"Nick, I'm serious."

The fox's ears fell a bit and he put away the colored lenses.

"Sorry, I was only joking."

"I know, dumb fox. I'm not upset." She waved at him to come back and he obliged with a large grin on his face.


	10. A Pleasant Conversation

_**Fox in the hen house :** Oh yes, this gun will be used. But were there ever a good time when a gun was used for its intended purpose ?  
_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** You can't stay mad at hugging material, it's scientifically proven. Hectic things for Nick ? Oh yeah. But it's what he signed for. No, Jack Savage isn't made of stone, he's made of something else. Actually I hoped to find other (written) stories where Savage was portrayed as a secret agent, but couldn't find any. (Which is strange since it was his first intended purpose in Zootopia's early drafts.)  
_

 _By the way, I don't remember having said that before, but part 2 will be mainly focused on Nick. I'd say 50 to 70%.  
_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 10 :** Nothing More Than a Pleasant Conversation  
_

 _Tuesday the 29th of January 2019_

It was the morning and a nervous Nick was finishing preparing himself. He had tried not to wake Judy up, but it seemed that she had had trouble sleeping too. He put on the clothes the agent gave him. It was a plain t-shirt, a black hoody and a pair of blue jeans. It was way more discreet than his signature hawaian green shirt.

"You're ready, Nick ?"

"Not by a long shot."

"I meant, do you have everything ?"

The fox shrugged.

"I know what you meant."

He gave her a peck on the cheek.

A knock came from the door and it oppenned before they could answer.

It was 6:55AM and a bunny entered the room.

"It's time mister Grayfox." the voice was firm, no trace of irony in his tone.

"I'm coming." Nick's voice was calm but Judy discerned a bit of annoyance.

The agent stared at him for a second. "I'll wait for you behind the door." And he left them alone.

They hugged trying to cram in one embrace all the love and caring they could muster.

"I'm scared Nick. I'm scared for you." He felt her shiver but she didn't cry. She had hardened a lot since they had met.

"I'm scared too Carrots. I'm scared for us both." He kissed her between the ears "But it's me. I'll be okay."

"I love you, my sly fox." They kissed longly. It wasn't the usual passionate embrace. They felt sadness, but also hope, a little shining light in the darkness. An anchor they could hold on to in the storm.

"I love you too, my wonderful bunny."

He hopped down from the bed with the suitcase, waving at her a last time as he opened and closed the door behind him.  
Suddenly, the room felt awfully cold to Judy, loneliness washed over her and she felt a sob coming in her throat. She didn't let it take her. The light of hope was here to stay.

The walk from his room was silent until Nick noticed something.

"It's not the way to the elevator."

"Not the usual one."

The steel door of the other elevator seemed old, an 'out of order' sign barred them. Unceremoniously, the bunny pushed the button and got under the sign when the door opened. Nick followed him. Inside, the bunny tapped on a dial and the machine went up.

"Secret passage, nice."

"In case someone needs to get in or out unnoticed."

They got out in an emergency exit sas. As they got out, Nick saw that they had entered an underground parking. They walked to a little car. Nick thought they'd use some kind of nice sedan, but it was obvious the trope he was used to see in spy flicks were romanticising the reality. The first thing that came to mind to the fox was 'unnoticeable'.

Both mammals got in and the bunny started the car.

"From now on your name is Frank. You're officially undercover. Put your lenses on."

While Nick did what he was ordered to, he asked "What would happen if someone recognized me ?"

"Deal with them as you see fit, as long as it does not compromise the operation."  
From the cold tone, it meant by any means necessary.

"Great. Any other advice ?"

"Yes. As an undercover agent, you'll have to build a persona to interact with other people. I highly suggest for you to create one not too far from your real personnality, otherwise you will have trouble maintaining it. Beside that, there is no way I can give you a sgnificant advice you could apply without being confronted with the reality of it first."

"I'll have to wing it." The fox felt strange. It was like he was waking an old muscle he hadn't used in a while. It felt strained, but eager. It was the Hustle, slowly getting back on. And the worst part was that he was feeling excited.

"Yes. Be focused and keep track of your lies."

Silence fell as the car made its way around the city, the thin trafic of the morning slowly getting denser.

"I have another question : why did you need me especially ?"

"I didn't need you especially. I needed a fox."

"Then why choose me ?"

"You're loyal to the city."

Nick's annoyance was rising. He scratched his head to keep focus. How come this bunny was able to get so easily under his skin.

"If we're to work together, I'd appreciate a bit more intel sharing."

The bunny emitted a strange sound, was it a chuckle ?

"I chose you because you're a fox and an officer. I need someone to infiltrate a fox-only business, or more precisely, predator-only, fox-mostly. I could have tried to recruit any fox, it's true, but your kind tends to stick together. Understandable since all other mammals are out to get you. Or so your kind believes. You on the other hand aren't loyal to your kind."

Nick winced at the sentence, he was about to retort but the bunny kept talking.

"You're loyal to all civilians of this city. 'Betraying the trust, and putting at risk the civilians... It is, I think, something that can be in no case acceptable.' were your exact words."

"How do you know of this ?"

"I'm ZIA. We know everything."

"Wonderful."

They slowed down in front of an old building, the old weasel reading a journal on the stairs leading to its door didn't seem to notice them.

"It's your building. You'll get off at the corner of the street. Be careful, it's a ZIA hideout but it's filled with as much agents than civillians, some of them being criminals under surveillance."

"How come they don't know ?"

"We're ZIA, we know how to keep secrets. I'll come and get you later, in the meantime go and buy a change of clothes. Not anything remarkable, plain dull colors if you can."

The car pulled over and the fox got out, calmy making his way to the building. The weasel didn't even lift his gaze when Nick entered, climbing the stairs to the third floor and entering a small flat. It couldn't be defined as nice, but it was far from the worse place he had ever slept in. And it had a fridge and oven.

The fox woke up after an attempt at a short nap. He had spent the last hour mostly staring at the ceiling and had barely slept. Not that his neighbors were noisy, if anything everything was suspiciously quiet. It was his mind that had kept him awake. That, and the fact that he had now trouble sleeping without being wrapped around his bunny. The bond was pulling at him, and there was no way for him to stop having grim thought on Judy's well being.

He should be with her. He should be here to support her, to help her get around with her broken leg. He had accepted to put the need of the city before his and hers, and even though he knew the bunny was proud of him for it, he couldn't keep himself from feeling like crap.

But now wasn't the time to wallow in self-pity. He had a job to do, and that job consisted in buying clothes. Bland and forgettable clothes. He left his appartment and nodded at the old weasel as he got down the stairs of the building. It seemed the mammal hadn't move during the night. Nick wondered if the guy was an agent, a criminal or if he was simply living there. That didn't make any difference in his mind and he decided to take a stroll around the block.

It wasn't a part of the city he was really familiar with. Buildings were mostly made of red brick, looking at the back alleys, he could see multiple service stairs. He made a mental map as a habit, they were a great way to get in and out unnoticed.

The streets were not overly dirty but it was obvious it wasn't the most rich part of the city. During the day, the streets were safe, but obviously, getting around during the night would be way more risky, not that the fox would feel in any danger. Most mammal knew better than to mess with a sly fox at night, it was one the few perks there were at being from his species.

The vulpine made his way to the ZUG. He had to find a cloth shop, and the best way was to find a mall. He could have gone to a thrift shop, but the flea markets had their names for a reason. And even when he had financially struggled, the fox would always buy his clothes new.

As he straddled around the shelves he noticed the moose security guard was staring at him. At first he thought he had recognized him, but as he moved around he remembered it was because he was a fox. Shrugging, he continued his browsing and at last found a pair of jean that weren't slim-cut. He liked the resistant fabric, but never understood why some mammals wanted to be restricted in their movements. He chose a blue and a black one, and went to take a couple of sweat shirt and added a dozen tshirts to his bag. Lastly, he found a thick synthetic leather vest, best to complete an innocuous look and provide a measure of protection against blades and claws. He never liked the idea of wearing this kind of fabric, simply because it was a reminder of long past times when leather was worn. The mere idea of using the skin of another mammal to make clothes sent shudders in his spine.

He tried on a couple of what he had chosen and wasn't surprised when he saw the security guard in the trying booth alley. The fox kept himself from giving him a sly grin. If he hadn't been undercover, he wouldn't have hesitated to cause a scene and put the mammal's snout in the mud showing him his police badge. But he had to lay low, so he simply faked not noticing anything and switched the clothes that weren't fitting him. He paid and left the store, getting back to his flat.

The day passed uneventfully, the fox going back and forth from being bored to death to worrying about his bunny.

He spent a bit of time in front of the mirror trying his clothes on. The vest made him look a bit beefier than he was, even if it fitted him well enough. It wasn't a bad thing, it changed his appearance even further and would make other mammals think twice before trying to cross him. He could also easily hide the holster inside it and there was a number of inside pockets were he could store his stuff.

Finally, as he couldn't take the loneliness anymore, he decided to take part in the neighborhood social life and find an opened pub. He wouldn't drink. Much. But it was always a good idea to test the water in places one would stay for a time. It was around five when he found an establishement that didn't seem too bad, but not too luxurous either, a few blocks from his building.

The place was called 'the wormtail'.

 _Charming._

Agent Savage not having given him a precise time, he hoped he would have a bit of time acclimating himself to the place.

He entered and immediately was hit by the smell of smoke, old sweat and cheap booze. A few patrons glanced at him as he walked to the bar. They were mainly predators. Tired, old and worn. The kind of mammals that begin to drink at noon and don't stop until it's time to get back home.

"What can I do you for ?" came the raspy voice of the bartender. It was a rat, and the biggest Nick had ever seen. He was even bigger than Judy. Despite the reputation of the rodents, this one looked clean, his clothes were probably the cleanest thing in this place, beside the newcoming fox of course.

"A pint of beer please."

"A beer with a please ? You're a newcomer in the neighborhood, are you ?" asked the rat as he filled a relatively clean mug with what looked to be booze. He put it in front of the vulpine and leaned on the counter with an interested look. The fox tasted the brew and barely kept himself from wincing. It wasn't the worst he had ever drunk, but definitely flop 3.

"And fancy tastes at that." chuckled the rodent as he had noticed the fox's reaction.

Nick gave him back his smile. "I'm not really a newcomer. Not my first time in the city either, but it's been a while." He said nothing of the beer, not seeking to antagonize the barmammal.  
"How long ?"

"Long enough to see that a lot has changed. New mayor, new politics. Strange how things can change in only a few years." Nick was testing the rat. He needed to now where things stood. This kind of joint stayed open thanks to its regulars, and it usually meant most customers shared the same views.

"You said it. Shit hit the fan a few months back when this air-headed cop ran her mouth about how the predators were all savages in waiting." Nick held back a growl and hid back his claws that had went out. Luckily the rat didn't notice anything as he kept talking. "She made it straight though, putting this scheming cotton-head behind bars. I wouldn't say no harm done, but nice to see she wasn't the entitled asshat she seemed to be. Here's hoping the lamb's escape won't come back to bite her in the ass."

Nick's brow furrowed, this information hadn't been made public yet. It had been a miracle no guard had told anything to the press and no pictures had leaked. The rat took the vulpine's reaction for an interested expresion. "Yes, it's not in the news, but be a bartender long enough in those part, and you're bound to learn a couple of juicy stories."

"I've bartended for a bit. I know what you mean" said the fox, and it wasn't a lie, it was one of the odd jobs he had performed.

"So you're a colleague !" laughed the rat. "Next one's on the house then." he said pointing at Nick's beer. "The name's Joe by the way."

"Frank, nice to meet you Joe." answered the fox, shaking the rat's paw.

Nick took another sip, not sure if he would even finish the mug. He leaned toward the rat with a conniving look.

"Say Joe, from colleague to colleague, would you have some sort of job for me ?"

The rodent took a reflective expression. "We don't really have any bartending opennings right now." He pointed at a little stage in the corner of the room. There was a worn piano on the side. "If you now how to sing or play an instrument, you can borrow the stage from time to time, you get half the profit I make for the evening, plus what any mammal will give you. Not the wednesday and saturday night though. Those are already booked."

"By whom ?" the fox asked with an interested look.

"Scarlet, my barmaid. Red fox, golden eyes. And a voice that could melt the ice cap. You should come tomorrow night. I'm sure you'll enjoy it." The rat gave him a coy smile that Nick mimicked.

"I'm sure I will. But about that job, I'm not looking for something specifically bar related. And I'm not much of a singer."

"So what else would you have in mind ?"

"The usual." Nick had put on the hustler mask, mix of mischief and connivance.

The rat's smiled turned to slightly carnivorous. "I don't have any usual job in store for now, but if you give me your contact, I'm sure I could come across something."  
Nick took a napkin and wrote down his phone number, it quickly disappeared in the rodent's paw. The vulpine felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and took it out, looking at the screen. It was a text from 'rodent' "I'll be at yours in ten, be there.". The vulpine downed his mug, and winced as the drink went down his throat. "Well Joe, it was nice meeting you, but I have to run." The fox left a banknote on the bar.

"Come back anytime." he heard behind him as he exited the establishement.

He made his way back to his building and stopped in front of the stairs. He hadn't taken the time to look at it in the morning. It was an old building, and it had been made to look worn down. But as the fox observed it, he could see the discreet renovation that had been made. Nothing too noticeable, but it was in better shape than any other building in this block. The old weasel was still there, his journal in his paws, but he didn't even give the fox a glance. Nick was about to start a conversation but he heard a car pull over near him. He recognized the bunny's car and got in.

"Right on time." said the agent as salute.

"Where are we going ?" asked the fox as he strapped on the security belt.

"See an old friend. A potential ticket inside the underworld and the crew I can't investigate myself since I'm not a fox."

"He only hires foxes ?"

"No, my 'friend' hires anyone with enough guts and know-how to do the job. By the way, I've taken the liberty to build you a bit of a rep during those past months, as a negotiator and smuggler."

The fox reacted at that. "Those few last months ? How long ago did this operation start ? Since how long did you plan to hire me ?"

Nick noticed the predatory grin that appeared in the corner of the bunny's mouth. "There is no start nor end to this operation. I take on what I reckon being a threat to this city, with the help of a few other field agents and analysts. As for me planning to hire you, I started considering it seven months ago, when all this started to take proportion big enough that I would take notice."

Nick fought himself to not let his jaw fall. "I wasn't even out of the academy."

"Nope, you weren't. I already knew of you though. Your name appeared a couple of times in mister Big's file."  
Nick fell silent. It was insane, how many steps ahead could this bunny think. "Why didn't you act sooner ? All this could have been prevented ! Judy's injury could have been prevented !" Nick snarled.

The fox's aggressive behaviour didn't even faze the bunny, he continued driving, and talking, like all this was nothing more than a pleasant conversation.

"I do not possess the power of prediction. If I had been able to infiltrate the gang I want you to, I think I would have been able to do something. I never thought they would do something so reckless, and nor did I that they'd try and kidnap ex-mayor Bellwether. I had a hunch something big was about to happen, but I didn't know what or when. What was I supposed to do, put a warning on a probable 'big situation' with no indication of date or place ?"  
Nick struggled to regain his composure. "You're right, I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. Even though I don't approve of your relation, I can understand your anger. I suggest you keep it and direct it toward the right target."

It almost sounded like genuine concern, but that last cold comment destroyed all empathy the fox thought he had detected. "So your 'friend' has a way for me to get in those guys gang ? Do they have a name ? Or a boss ? How did you even got to know about them ?"

"I'm certain he has a way, yes. I've seen him work with a lot of foxes those last few weeks. I followed some of them, and most of them knew eachother, though they did everything they could to hide it. I don't know if they have a name, or a boss, so I'm fairly certain there is someone up top coordinating everything. And as for me knowing about them, I know some, if not all, of the weapons used by the shooters a week back were provided by my friend to those foxes."

"Okay, that's solid, as far as shady leads go... Wait back up, you said they started working with your 'friend' a few weeks back but you started considering hiring me months ago. That doesn't make sense !"

"It does if you consider the fact that you are a fox with a sense of justice, duty, and good knowledge of the city's underbelly inner workings. In other words : you always were a potential asset for the ZIA. And just because they started working with him only a few weeks ago doesn't mean they did nothing to peek my interest befor. This whole situation hammered the last nails in the coffin."

"Here's hoping it won't be in mine."

The bunny emitted a short chuckle.

The car pulled over in front of a large warehouse. Nick had the faint sensation he had come here before, which was probable. He had worked with a lot of people over the years, most of which were buried deep in his memory. They entered through a door on the side of the building, the security guard saluting Jack. They passed through a hallway, another door and were now inside the warehouse. It was well maintained. Not a trace of rust on the steel beams, the humidity was low for a place like this. The fox looked around and saw dozens of crates and a few aligned containers.

They approached a lean grey wolf, his back turned, scribbling something on a pad. The bunny stopped at a short distance from the canid.

"Hello Vlad."

"Jack ?" the wolf turned around quickly to face his guest, and Nick found his face to be familiar. "Jack ! Dearest of all my friends !" exclamed the wolf with a thick eastern accent, rolling his r's. They shook hand with warm smiles on their faces. Nick couldn't tell if the one on the bunny's face was genuine, but he was certain the one on the wolf's face was. "And who is your friend ?" he said approaching the fox.

"The name's Frank." he said, putting on his most charming mask and shaking the canid's paw in turn.

"Vladimir. My friend call me Vlad, and as the saying goes, the friends of my friends are mine too !" As he was now closer, Nick recognized the mammal facing him.

 _Holy shit, Vladimir Zimovitch. The mammal trafficker._

Nick repressed his wince, keeping a perfectly straight mask. He had had a run in with the wolf more than a decade ago. A job he had screwed up as he had almost turned into one of the wolf's cargo. It was a memory he would prefer to keep buried. Now, even if the guy had never clearly seen his face, he hoped his disguise would be good enough to fool him.

"Nice to meet you Vlad."

The wolf let escape a big and deep laugh, patting Nick on the shoulder. "I'm sure we will become good friends. Jack told me lots about you. Is it true you negotiated your way out of a DEZA drug bust ?"

Nick glanced at the rabbit who nodded.

"Only two times. It's part of the reason I had to leave the city for a while." He lied. It sent the grey wold in a new fit of laughter.

"You're funny, fox. I like you ! But we're not hear to swap pleasanteries. Please, come into my office, and let's get down to business."

He lead them into a dim litten room at the back of the hangar. Though it looked than an old utility room, it had been redecorated with drapes and curtains. There was a sofa and a couple of armchairs. With a gesture, their host invited them to sit and served each one a glass of vodka.

Jack didn't drink it and nor did the wolf, giving an expectant glance at the fox.

 _Hope I won't screw up the pronunciation._

"Na Zdrowie !"  
The three of them downed their drink. The familiar burning sensation came up into the fox's throat. The vulpine didn't care much for vodka, but he had to admit it wasn't the worst he had ever tasted. And it washed away the awful beer's aftertaste.

"Now to business !" said the wolf enthusiastically "I have a job that would require someone of your talent. One of my associate had found himself in a bit of a pickle, and I'd like to have him back with us."

"Do you want me to bust him out of somewhere ?"

"Eager, are we ? No, I want you to conduct a negotiation and exchange for his release."

Negotiating for the release of someong wasn't too different from making a deal on a territory or a sell, but there was always the 'honor' factor. If the wolf's associate mistake was big, it was possible no price could be big enough to buy him back.

"I believe I can do that. Who's keeping him and what has he done ? And what would my bargaining chip be ?"

"He has trespassed and conducted some activities on mister Big's territory." Nick hid his reaction at the mention of the mod boss name. It was obvious the wolf didn't want to reveal what his associate's activites were, but knowing him, Nick felt better not having a precise idea. However, having to negotiate with mister Big could prove to be risky. The shrew knew him well and the fox wouldn't be surprised if it blew his cover. "And as of your bargaining chip, I suppose a big pile of cash could do the trick, but I believe you'll have to appeal to his business sense."

Playing with fire, great. He'd have to convince the shrew it was in his best interest to give up on a hostage that seemed precious enough to the wolf that he'd negociate to get him back.

"Their hostage is called Robert, he's a hyena. If you give me your phone number, I will communicate you the time and place of the meeting when I'll have set it up."

Nick gave his number to Vlad.

"You're putting a lot of trust into someone you just met." remarked the fox.

"Do you think ? If I am to trust Jack's words, and I do, you should be more than qualified." smiled the wolf, filling his own glass. He motionned the bottle to Nick, but he refused with a wave.

"From what I know about mister Big, he could prove to be quite stubborn. Even with my skillset, I can't guarantee I'll succeed. In this situation, I don't know any mammal that could." The fox prefered to play it safe. If this was a test as he thought, he didn't want to blow it. But he was being honest, there was no way he could be sure to buy the hyena's ticket out of the mess he had put himself into.

The wolf chuckled "I'm sure you will find a way." the smile was warm, but his gaze spelled 'don't disappoint me'. It was a thing Nick had always hated about mobster. They pitted you against improbable odds and then acted all offended when you failed their assignment. It was one of the numerous reason why he had chosen an independant career as a hustler.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack glance at his phone. "I'm sorry to cut this short Vlad, but we should go. You know how it is."

"Jack, always on a job. Of course, I understand, friend. It was a pleasure to see you and to meet your friend !" He shook his guests paws as he accompagnied us to the exit. "I'll talk to you soon, Frank."

...

Nick and Jack were in the car, the bunny still on the wheel, making their way back to Downtown.

"You could have warned me we were going to see Vlad." Declared Nick, easily hiding his anger.

"I could have, but I didn't know you knew him. And even so, it's good for you to be confronted to mammals you know. It trains you to conceal your true identity."

"So this was a test ? Is it a habit to test your partners this much ?"

"Every last thing you will do from now on will be tests. And, Frank, we aren't partners. You're an agent, like me. You simply have an interim contract. I'm doing what I must to ensure you're able to see this through the end."

"And what if I had blown it ? If my reaction had given me away ?"

"I would have had to protect my cover." The implications of the sentence was obvious. The bunny was proving to be ZIA to the bone. Nick fell silent. Never had he wanted more to punch another mammal in the face. But the mask was still perfectly on, only giving away an expression of reflectiveness. After he was back in a more calm state, Nick asked.

"Are you trying to infiltrate him too and bring him down ?"

"No, I'm after more important targets."

"More important targets ? The guy deals in mammal trafficking. He takes away kids all over the town and sells them to the highest bidder !"

"It was years ago, this side of his activities has highly diminished, and I'm partially to thank for it. And if you must know, he was the better of several evils, it's one of the reason his business is still standing."

"The better of several... There were other like him ?"

"Of course. Though most of them are now wearing concrete shoes in the canal district." There it was again, the predatory corner-grin. It was a thing Nick sometimes wore, but it would never be as genuine. However, even if his instinct told him to stay silent, the fox refused to back down from the conversation.

"So that's it ? Vlad isn't 'so bad' so he walks free, while continuing his business."

"You're one to give lesson. Aren't you the godfather of the city's most feared mob boss grandson ? How does he get a free pass ?"

Nick fell silent. There was no good answer. He and the shrew went way back, and the crimeboss' help had been invaluable during the nighthowler's case. Of course, he knew of mister Big's business. Arms dealings, drugs, a few rackets and a lot of blackmail on the most influent politicians in the city. But to the fox, mammal trafficking was worse than any of those crimes.

"I know what you think Frank. Vlad is worst than Big. I partially agree, even if the shrew has the paws in way more pies. The stability of this city is in part due to our rodent's business. We can't get rid of the crime and corruption. The city is too big, the mammals are too greedy. It will always be there, stepping on the weak, taking what it can. But we, meaning the ZIA, the ZPD, the DEZA, can control it, shape it to minimize the pain it brings to the honest citizens. It's a reluctant compromise, and I long for the day this city will stop needing mammals like me. But this day won't come. Ever."

The bunny's voice was low, and Nick heard inside it a sort of resigned weariness.

It didn't put down the fox however. He understood that Judy had seriously rubbed off on him when he heard himself answer "It simply means there will always be room for improvement. We'll always be able to make the world a better place."

...

Nick had slumped on his bed with a groan, face first into the pillow. The day hadn't been especially tiring on a physical stand point, but a lot had happenned. He hated the idea of doing business with Vladimir, and had no more pleasant feelings about having to conceal his identity to Mr Big. All this reeked of disaster and he was fairly certain the whole thing would blow up in his face sooner or later.

 _Probably sooner than later._

He rolled on his back, and winced. The gash on his leg wasn't very painful, but his ribs were another story altogether. With a groan, he stood back up and made his way to the bathroom. He took out the bandage and took a quick shower, he then more thoroughly cleaned his wounds. No trace of infection, but he'd have to be careful anyway. The stitches had started to be assimilated by his body, except for the knots he would have to cut off. Clean bandages were applied and he went to the kitchen to fix himself some sort of makeshift dinner. It wasn't late, only 7PM, but the exhaustion crept on him. He decided to call it a day and went to bed, subconsciously wrapping himself around the pillow as he fell asleep.

* * *

 _Layers._


	11. To Think Like Nick

_**Foxlover91 :** A fun task though. I'm trying to paint the dark side of Zootopia. Maybe I'm being a bit heavy on clichés, but I think it's what makes it fun.  
_

 _ **Fluttershy99 :** I guess at least one of those two questions will be answered in the next chapters. Which one though ?_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 11 :** To Think Like Nick  
_

 _Tuesday the 29th of January 2019_

The doctor Procyon was in Judy's room, looking at her charts and last x-rays. He had entered a minute ago and the only thing he had said to her patient was 'hello'. Now, the doe was waiting for her doctor to give his answer about letting her out or not.

"Everything seems in order. Meaning : as much as it could be, considering the loss of your knee."

The raccoon hadn't lifted his eyes from the file.

"Does that mean I can get out ?"

There was a slight pause, while the doctor took of his glasses.

"To be honest, I'd prefer you stay here, if only for your peace of mind. But your mate now being in a 'coma', I know your level of stress will only raise if you stay here without occupation. So I'm letting you out."

He planted his eyes into her, and she could feel all the seriousness in his next sentence. "The only moment you should be standing up is to take a shower. Meaning ten minutes a day. It's the only exercice this leg should get outside the reeducation."

"Understood."

"Do you really ? I've had the chief forward me some of your reports. You don't know how to stay in place. So I want you to really take this in : if you don't do exactly what I say, you will disturb the healing process. If you disturb the healing process you will lose your leg. It's not a matter of probability, it is what will happen. And if you lose your leg, you won't be able to be a cop anymore."

Judy stayed mute.

"I think now, my point went across. An ambulance is waiting for you to bring you home." The doctor gave her a piece of paper "This is the adress and time of your first reeducation seance. You don't want to miss any of them. I'll leave you now, a nurse should come and help you soon."

As he was about to pass the door, he stopped and looked at her over his shoulder.

"And Judy ? Thanks for all that you've done and hopefully will keep doing for this city."

It put a smile on the doe's face. The doctor Procyion was professionnal to the extreme, never hesitating to use what he deemed necessary in order for his patient to heal. But Judy was beginning to get used to mammals not showing that they cared, and she understood that it was his way of ensuring everyone's wellbeing.

After the nurse had come and helped her dress up, she insisted to roll herself to the ambulance in a wheelchair. It took her a bit of time to get the hang of it but she managed. It was a bit hard though, most of her physical strength came from her legs, having to use her arms would prove to be a challenge.  
Soon enough, she was back at her appartment. Since the last floor didn't have elevator access, the boar paramedic had to carry her. A problem that Judy had forgotten to anticipate. As the door opened, she reached for the lightswitch, flicking it on.

"SURPRISE !"

Came multiple cheery voices. As a reflexe, Judy reached for her absent tranq-gun. The paramedic behind her chuckled at the sight of the three mammals present. Judy

recognized Clawhauser, Wolford and Blackfur. Chances were they had used the key double Judy had given Blackfur.

"I see you're in good paws, officer Hopps. Have a nice evening and be careful with your leg."

"Thanks, good bye."

The paramedic left and Clawhauser took control of the wheelchair, pushing Judy to the center of the room. There were snacks, food and alcohol on the table and they had quickly decorated the living room with garlands. There was also a long gift box with carrot themed wrapping.

"Guys, you shouldn't have !"

"But we wanted to !" answered Clawhauser, while opening a champaign bottle. He gave everyone a glass but Judy declined.

"Not a good idea, I still have meds to take, and I'm pretty sure it's not compatible." Instead she took a carrot juice.

She opened the present and discovered a pair of telescopic crutches. They had had the taste to pick them cop blue and not orange, but she noticed the discreet carrot stickers on the handles.

"Thanks a lot ! I don't know when I'll be able to use them, but they will come in handy !"  
"All the precinct pitched in." Said Wolford.

Everyone chatted a bit, Judy drank her juice but didn't feel like digging in the snacks.

If anything, she wanted to talk a bit about the investigation on Bellwether's disappearance but with Clawhauser present it was risky, since it could lead them to mention Nick's undercover operation, which he wasn't supposed to know about. She let herself relax a bit and cheerfully chatted with her friends. She felt the little reunion drag on as a slight gloom came to her, she couldn't really get to a party mood. Her friends felt it too.

"Guys, I think I'm going to call it a night. I work tomorrow and to be honest I feel a bit tired." said the pudgy cat diplomatically, not wanting to impose on the drained bunny.

Wolford downed his champaign glass. "I think I'm going to do the same, no point letting him go home on his own".

The bunny felt a bit of guilt, they had organized all this for her comeback and she wasn't able to enjoy it. She didn't stop them however.

"Okay you two, have a nice trip home." Judy glanced at the table "you can leave with the donut box."

The cat felt embarassed, but he didn't decline, closing the box of glazed bakeries and putting it under his arm after having put on his coat.

"Bye guys, see you tomorrow." he waved, leaving the flat. Behind him, the wolf made a hand gesture.

The panda and bunny were now alone in Nick's flat. Judy slumped a bit on her chair with a sigh.

"Are you tired Judy ?"

"Not physically but Nick not being here and staying undercover... I feel a bit overwhelmed."

"You could stay here tomorrow if you want."

"No, I want to get back to work. If I stay here alone, I'm sure I'll turn mad." she stared at the table covered with snacks and unopened bottles. "It's not how I envisionned the return to my flat."

"How did you envision it ?"

Judy shrugged "I didn't. Until you, chief Bogo and this agent came in, it all seemed like a fading nightmare. I could slowly put it all behind. Now it's so... Real." She looked at her casted leg hidden by her pant's leg. "I don't know what to think. I don't even know what I feel beside exhaustion and emptyness."

The panda took a reflective look. "It's pretty normal to not feel anything in overwhelming situations. A lot is happenning at the same time and you'll need time to adapt, and even more to overcome. Trust me, when reality will hit, it will hit hard."

"You're not doing a good job at reassuring me." grimly chuckled Judy.

The panda pushed the wheelchair to Judy's room. "I'm not trying to reassure you. I'm trying to prepare you."

The bear helped the bunny undress and get into her bed. Before falling asleep she had taken her meds and called her family. They didn't talk much, Judy simply wishing to tell them she was back at her appartment and that she was okay. Her siblings didn't seem overly worried, since she had sent messages to reassure them during the past week. However they asked a lot of question about Nick, to which she answered she didn't want to talk about it. It wasn't an outright lie, but it still made her uneasy.

When she let herself relax on the pillow at last, she thought she wouldn't be able to sleep. But in a matter of minute, she had fallen into slumber.

* * *

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019_

The alarm clock on her phone rang, waking her up. She had lost the habit of waking up early during the week and she felt she hadn't slept enough, even if it wasn't the case. A hardly awaken panda stumbled into her room.

"'morning Judy." She said, unfolding the wheelchair and helping her get sit.

"Good morning Wight."

The panda made them a quick breakfast and emptyed her coffee mug while looking through the window.

"Crap."

Judy raised her head from her toast and looked at the panda. "What ?"

"The press is in front of the building."

The bunny raised her eyes to the ceiling and rubbed her face with her paws. "I don't want to deal with this."

The panda took out her phone. "I'm texting Wolford to come pick us up."

Then, she helped Judy clean up. The bunny could stand, as long as she rested on her good leg, and didn't need much help once she was in the shower.  
They had finished preparing themselves and Blackfur carried her down the only floor without elevator. As they entered it and pushed the button for the ground floor, Judy steeled herself. Since the incident a few month prior, she dreaded having to talk in public. She had been able to make another speech at Nick's graduation ceremony, but only because she had written it in advance and she wouldn't make an infortunate slip up.

As they left the building, the press rushed to them, barely leaving space to go through.

Questions came from everywhere, and even if the bunny had wanted to answer she wouldn't have been able to. She resolved to give they same answer over and over.

"Judy, what happened to your legs ?"

"No comment."

"Did you know your attacker ?"

"No comment."

"Is it true they were drugged ?"

"No comment."

"How come you got away only with an injury while your partner is in a coma ?"

"No comment."

"Will he pull through ?"

A loud siren came from behind the reporters, making everyone jump. The panda took advantage of the short confusion to force through the pack of mammals and get to Wolford's cruiser. She opened the door and picked up the bunny unceremoniously, sitting her on a backseat and installing herself at her side.

"Vultures" She mumbled as the car began moving.

"Hello ladies, how are you doing ?" came Wolford's cheerful voice.

"I'm good Wolford."

"I'm good too." said Judy. "I hope those guys won't be here tonight."

"They probably will be. I wouldn't be surprised if they followed your every move for the next week or so." answered the wolf. The panda glared at him through the rear-view mirror. "Or maybe not." He quickly added in an apologetic tone.

The remaining of the trip to the precinct was silent and uneventful. They weren't surprised to see some reporters in front of the precinct's doors, but weren't bothered by them since they used the underground parking lot to get in. As Judy got out of the elevator in the precinct hall, Clawhauser greeted her.

"Hi Judy ! How are you doing today."

The few other officers that hadn't noticed her yet turned toward her. Most of them looked tired, some of them wearing worried expression. It was logical since Nick was officially in a coma and knew how close they were.

Well maybe they don't know how close we are, but they know we're each other's best friends.

Clawfith approached her and patted her shoulder in an encouraging manner.

"Hey Judy. How are you hanging up ?"

"I'm good, how are you Clawfith ?"

"Fine, fine..."

The other officers came to greet her, most of them gave her an encouraging comment, but it was obvious they felt sorry both for her and her partner.  
An awkward silence had fallen on the precinct's hall. The mammals didn't know if they should stay and comfort her or get back to their usual occupations as if everything was normal. Judy rose from her chair and used it to stay up, not putting any weight on her injured leg.

"Guys, I'm fine and Nick's not dead." she declared, loud enough so everyone could hear her. "Could you please drop the funeral faces, please ?" Her words seemed to wash over her colleagues like a cold wave, waking them up from their concerned state. "I know it's a hard blow, but it's not with this attitude that we will make the world a better place !"

A few smiles appeared on her colleagues faces, some of them scratching their neck in embarassement.

"Besides, Nick would never let you live it down if he knew how worried for him you were."  
Her last sentence triggered a few chuckles.

"She's right guys !" Said Fangmeyer. "We have work to do, and it won't get done with that attitude."

"Yeah !" came a voice.

"Judy's right !" came another.

The mammals slowly scattered.

"By the way, chief Bogo wants to see you after roll call, he'll wait for you in his office." said the pudgy feline.  
Judy looked at her partners "Shall we go then ?"

"Nope, we already have ou assignments, we're working on Bellwether's disappearance. We have a lot of files to compile and interrogations to compare." The panda pushed Judy's chair toward her office.

The bunny didn't like desk work, but this would be all that she would be able to do for the next few months. She would have to be patient, one of the things she always had trouble being. She sighed as she rolled the chair in front of the computer, turning it on a pulling a file from the pile on her left.

To her right, she could hear the wolf tapping rythmically on his leg. Usually this kind of noise would be irritating, but there was something soothing in the discreet melody he produced.

She turned her focus back on the file. It was on a jaguar named Matias Wilkinspots. He was the one on camera room duty the day of Bellwether's disappearance. During his interview, he had said that nothing unusual had happenned on screen and it had looked like the ex-mayor had spent all her time in her cell. There was a bunch of photographs attached to the file showing a perfectly normal cell, with the lamb lying on her bed, seeming bored to death.

That opened a few questions, and on the top of her head, Judy came with a few of her own. Did the kidnappers have access to the prison central computer ? If so, how could the jaguar not have noticed it ? Did they have someone working with them from the inside ?

As of now, the computer engineers hadn't found any trace of obvious tampering. Even though the prison's security system was up to date, it was recoded on analogic bands in real time, that were kept for a few months. And the footage was also copied on a hard drive. This double security had a purpose, it was easy to notice tampering on analogic bands, and the hard drive footage could be kept indefinitely.

Sadly, the analogic band didn't show any sort of tampering and the footage was completely similar to the one on the hard drive.  
It added to the theory of someone working from the inside. Someone could have taken old footage and recorded it on the analogic band, and put the same video on the hard drive. Or he could even have modified how the system work, changing what was recorded on the bands in real time. She didn't know enough about how that worked, and her imagination was running wild. But to Judy, the jaguar wasn't the first suspect on this. Taking all of those precautions simply to be here at the time of the kidnapping and ending up being the prime suspect was nonsensical.

Judy's computer was now on and she opened the common file on the disappearance. She quickly looked at who could access it. Her, her two partners, the chief, MacHorn his second in command, and Clawhauser.

She read the temporary reports and pictures of the case. There had been corrections to the first draft, the first one that she noticed was the quantity of blood used to write the message in the cell. According to the forensic later exam, the lamb could still have been alive with that much blood loss, even if barely. And probably not without side effects. Even though the bunny didn't like the lamb, she felt somewhat relieved. In her book, no one deserved this kind of death. But it didn't mean the ex-mayor was still alive either.

She continued down the report and saw that her partners hadn't spent their week sitting on their thumbs. There was a complete schedule of what happenned at the prison that day, with the interesting elements highlighted. Even though she would have to take everything in, she knew she wouldn't have the time to do so before going to see the chief so she chose to focus on what seemed the more important.

In the early morning, a prison truck had come to deliver a new prisoner, but no security footage could show any of the passenger faces. And the new prisoner file was surprisingly empty. She found another strange thing. The database showed an order to move the lamb to another cell, more secluded place in the facility. It would explain why no one saw or heard what was happening. A few cameras caught their feets and partial pictures of their body, it seemed that the camera in front of the lamb's cell wasn't the only one from which the recording had been altered or lost. Now she was pretty certain there was a mole at the prison.

She studied the few pictures there was. They showed mostly paws, so considering their size : predators. She tried to not make any hasty deduction and continued studying the schedule. Beside that, nothing came to her as peculiar. The prison truck had left at a time that fitted with the lamb's disappearance. And she found a partial picture of them leaving with a bag. Or what looked to be a bag, the picture only showed a portion of it. Now this was a huge coincidence.

She had been so focused on her screen she hadn't seen her two collegues approach behind her, looking at her screen.

"Any theory officer Hopps ?" came Wolford's voice.

The voice barely made her jump, she was used to it, Nick loved to surprise her by coming quietly in her back. "This truck seems suspect to me. And see this picture, I'm sure this is a bag here." she said, pointing at it "If we compare it to the leg size of the one carrying it, which look like a tiger or a lion to me, I'm fairly certain it could contain a lamb."

"We came to the same conclusion." said the panda. "But we couldn't obtain a good description of them from anyone. Each prison guard and inmate see hundreds of faces every day."

"And even if they were unusual, none of them focused on those guys at the time since they had no reason to."

"Crud." she scratched her head reflectively. "And what about the mole ? Obviously someone tampered with the security footage, do we have a suspect list ?"

"Beside the half-dozen mammals that have access to the camera room ? No. We interviewed them, but none of them seemed really suspect. We checked their schedule and there is no obvious match. We've started some background checks though, I can send you the file if you want to take a look."

The bunny nodded "For now, we don't have any obvious lead, so yes, I'd like to take a look. Honestly, I think we should run background checks on every prison guard but I doubt we have hundreds of years to close the investigation." She looked at her phone. "I should go now, I'm sure chief Bogo is waiting for me."

"Do you want me to bring you there ?" asked the panda.

"Nope, the exercise will do me good." She answered will rolling away from her desk and out of the office.

The trip took longer that she had expected. Her short time in the hospital had taken a toll on her physical shape and her arms felt slightly sore from pushing on the wheels. No matter, it was an opportunity to work on her arm strength, something that she had neglected since her best assets had always been her legs. And what linked her leg to her back, according to her mate.

She knocked at the door and heard the chief's deep voice answer. "Come in"

As she entered she saw a grim looking cape buffalo, his chin resting on his hooves. Facing him was an elegant and well dressed female pig. She turned to Judy with a warm smile and Judy recognized her as mayor Swinton. They had only spoken a couple of time. One of them was to write Judy's speech for Nick's graduation ceremony.  
From what she knew about the mayor, she was an honest mammal, working hard for her city. She was less about appearance and more about effeciency. She had taken a few stances that had triggered strong reaction from the public. One of them being a tolerance zero toward racist behaviour, being toward predators or prey. To Judy, fighting racism was a good thing, but it should be more about changing mammal's opinion than fighting it with a iron fist. In any case, she approved of most of the mayor politics, but was still surprised to see her here.

"Officer Hopps, it's so nice to see you again !" She said, approaching her and shaking her paw.

Judy quickly hid her surprised expression, smiling back at the mayor. She glanced at the chief who gave her nod and gestured her to take place in front of him.

"Before we tackle the matter at hand, I want you to know how sorry I am about what happenned to your partner." Said the mayor with genuine concern.

"Thanks miss mayor, it means a lot." smiled Judy, hiding her embarassement. The show of support was nice, but it made her incomfortable that people felt sorry about it.

The buffalo let the moment pass before saying his piece.

"Judy, I know what we will ask of you won't please you, so I won't beat around the bush. The mayor intends to hold a press conference with you as a guest."  
Of that, the bunny wasn't surprised. She knew it was coming and had wondered when this hammer would fall. It didn't mean she liked it though, but there was no reason for her to refuse other than that she hated to be in the eye of the public.

"Are you sure this is a good idea ? I've been willingly on camera two times, and one of them didn't end so well."  
At the memory, the buffalo repressed a wince. He remembered all too well how her first apperance on camera had ended. But he was surprised she hadn't outright refused this time.

"I think the people need to see and hear a face they like reassure them." Began the mayor. "Those are dark times, and according to our chief of police, we're only seeing the beginning of them. It will be an occasion to honor the officers who have fallen on the day of the shootings."

"I won't force you to do this officer Hopps, but can you at least consider it ?" asked the cape buffalo.

"There is nothing to consider, I accept. Honoring the dead, bringing comfort to the living, and reassuring the civilians. It's part of what I believe my duty is."

At that, the mayor shook the bunny's paw again. "That's fantastic. Preparations are already under way."

Obviously, the mayor had anticipated that she would accept. "Though I would appreciate if you could help me write the speech like last time." added the bunny.  
The swine made a slight pause, the shadow of an embarassed expression on her face "Of course, but you should understand that since it's a press conference, you'll have to answer a few questions from the press." That wasn't what Judy would consider good news, her expression fell a bit. "I'll try to keep them a minimum though.

"And you won't face the press alone, I'll be behind you at all time."

 _To support me or keep me from screwing up ? Alrigh, I'm beginning to think like Nick._

"I suppose I can go through a few questions from the press. When will this press conferenece take place ?"

"Tomorrow, at noon."

It wouldn't leave her a lot of time to prepare. Part of her wished to delay the event as long as possible, but the sooner she would put it past her, the better. Beside, it couldn't be worse than being shot in the leg.

"Alright. I'll send you a first draft on the speech this afternoon miss mayor." smiled the bunny.

"Thanks Judy, I'm counting on you." said the pig as she got down from her seat. "See you tomorrow." She saluted both the chief and the officer and left the room.

Silence fell on the office. The chief ended up breaking it. "I'm sorry officer Hopps. I know you're not fond of talking on camera."

"It's okay chief. I can't do a lot in the state I'm in, so if me being a public face can help in any way, I'll gladly make the sacrifice. Was there anything else ?"

"No officer, you're dismissed."


	12. To Face a Firing Squad

_**Robert Escher :** You're welcome. I'm glad to see that people understand what I'm trying to imply with the characters reactions.  
_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** Basically, for the doctor, I wrote him as I think doctors should be. Blunt and direct. A bit of a doctor Cox, without the dickish side. Changing POW can prove to be quite challenging. It's hard to not write all characters in the same way.  
_

 _ **Fluttershy99 :** Wouldn't it be a spoiler if I gave an answer ?_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 12 :** To Face a Firing Squad_

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019, 11:42AM  
_

The fox went on and off a couple of time before waking up. His mind in a haze, the only thing he could think about was coffee. He scrambled to the kitchen and made some. As the coffee machine heated, he turned on the old TV set. The image was glitchy and the fox hit the machine a couple of time before the thing accepted to work properly. He switched to the news channel and poured himself a mug. It was almost noon but the vulpine didn't feel hungry, even though he hadn't had breakfast yet. Slumping on the worn couch, he looked at the image that were fed to his slumbering mind.

"-That's all the ZPD has accepted to divulge about the disappearance of ex-mayor Bellwether, but our journalists-

 _So the ZPD has released the information. Good, better that than a leak._

-is now eleven past twenty and we're reminding our spectators that a press conference will be held today at noon. The mayor will answer questions about the shooting, the ZPDs actions and the future of our city-"

 _Of course, that's what politicians do. Press conferences, reassure the public, while mammals like us do the dirty work._

"-will have the hero of Zootopia, officer Judith Laverne Hopps, as a guest. She'll answer a few questions as the ZPD's spokesperson."

"WHAT ?" almost shouted the vulpine at his screen. He rushed to his room and took his phone, quickly dialing the bunny's number. He wasn't supposed to contact her aside from emergencies, but to the fox this was one.

* * *

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019, 07:00AM_

Her let leg felt sore. It was a good thing she couldn't use it, she would never have been able to with how much her muscles and ligaments ached. The evening prior she had her first reeducation seance. Her leg had been put in a machine that made it move slowly in all sorts of directions. The procedure hadn't been painful, but the aftermath was another story altogether. She stood up with a groan, her weight on her only valid leg and put on her clothes, letting herself slump on the wheelchair. She rolled to the living room where her friend was already preparing the breakfast. She too was already in uniform humming a tune as she filled two mugs, one with coffee and on with decaf.

"I could have helped you dress up, you know ?" Said the panda with a smile.

The bunny shrugged. "I don't like to feel dependant."

"I know."

As she took her breakfast, the bunny asked her friend. "Are you sure it doesn't bother you to drive me to the clinic for my reeducation session in the evening ?"  
The panda lifted her gaze from the newspaper she was reading. "It will only be three times a week. And as your partners, me and Wolford have obtained a more consistent schedule. No more change in our hours for the next few months. So no, the perks outweights the drawbacks." she answered with a slightly devious grin. "If anything, I feel a bit guilty towards our colleagues."

"Why ?"

"As your caretakers, Wolford and me will get preferential treatment in term of working hours. And since you're working with us on Bellwether's case, it's not like you could switch partners to make it fair."

Judy reflected on it. It was true, but there wasn't really anything she could do about it. "Everyone has been very supportive, but it's only been a day since I went back to work. Maybe we should take care of this before it becomes an issue."

"Do you have anything in mind ? We can't really ask the chief to have us on the crew rotation. Your doctor was adamant on you needing to have a consistant sleeping schedule."

Judy knew enough about the panda and her motherly attitude to understand that she wouldn't permit either.

"I was thinking about something more along the line of telling everyone officially why we have those privileges and apologies in advance."

"You're back to work even though you're still injured, if anyone should do that kind of statement, it would be me and Wolford. I think it's a good idea though, to smooth things over before they could get ugly. Wolford will agree to it too I think."

They had arrived to the precinct a few minutes ago and had quickly greeted the pudgy cat working at the front desk. Judy was now in front of her desk, neck deep in the case's multiple files. She was trying to isolate the most likely prison moles suspects. So far, she only had selected a dozen that were likely. She would be willing to interrogate all of them, but she knew the chief wouldn't greenlight such a procedure. Especially since the prison security had tightened and they had doubled the rounds.

In the meantime, Wolford had made a request to have access to the prison's camera room. He wanted to check thoroughly the ways to access it and the way one could have to tamper with the video system. They alreasy knew it was in a closed loop, preventing anyone to hack it from outside. And if the investigation couldn't get much harder, the prison guard were reluctant to talk, even to cooperate. Their job was hard, and it was obvious no one in their position was too fond of regulations. It wasn't unusual that they would step over some lines to make their job easier.

This infuriated Judy. She had made a lot of work on herself to accept that some rules could be overseen or overstepped. She had to accept that some of her acquaintances could bend the laws and not seen them as criminals. But this was beyond her. A mammal had disappeared, most likely kidnapped, and was in danger. And all those guards, figures of the laws were putting their wellbeing before an innocent mammal. Well not innocent, but it was the same to her, the lamb didn't deserve whatever fate her captors would make fall on her.

She went over one of the files a third time when a detail captured her attention. It belonged to a raccon named Peter Racton. There was a schedule of each mammal's presence in the prison and this one seemed off. The mammal was supposed to be on his day off, as was written, but the handwritting was slightly different. She only had a photocopy of the schedule but upon closer expection, she could see traces of corrective white ink. Maybe the guard had simply switched schedule with his colleague. The bunny looked around the file to see if switching schedule was usual. As a matter of fact it was, some files showed traces of corrective ink, but none of them had another writing. The schedules were made by the prison's head warden and only he had the authority to make modifications. She checked the writing on Wilkinspots' schedule on the same day and it seemed to match.

The bunny pinned the files aside with a sticky note. She wanted the handwriting checked out by a graphologist even though she was fairly sure it was the raccoon's.  
She hadn't shared her discovery with her colleague. Wolford was writing a report with earphone on his ears and the bunny knew how focused Blackfur got when she was analysing files. She took out her phone and looked at the time. Almost eleven. They'd have to leave soon, the mayor having asked of her to be present at least half an hour prior to the press conference at city-hall. So much for not breking their focus.

"Guys ?"

Both her colleagues lifted their head from their work.

"Yes Judy ?" asked the wolf, as he unplugged his earphones.

"It hink we should go if we don't want to be late."

The panda glanced at her screen. "Yes, you're right. I'll prepare the cruiser, Wolford, could you accompany her ?"

"Sure thing Blackfur."

The panda left quickly and Judy began rolling herself out. She had explained to the wolf she wanted the exercice but could see he wanted to help her. It wasn't because he believed she needed the help or was too slow, if anything, she managed to move in a walking pace and was certain that soon she could be even faster. It was simply the wolf's way.

They took the elevator down to the parking lot and were surprised to see the chief at the wheel of the cruiser they were about to take.

"Chief ? Are you coming with us ?"

"Yes, there's no way I'll let one of my officer face this kind of ordeal without proper back up." He had said it with a straight face, but one could discenr traces of humor in his declaration.

The wolf helped Judy sit on the rear seat and installed himself next to her. The panda was sitting shotgun.

"Are you ready for this, officer Hopps ?" asked the cape buffalo as he started the car.

"Not by a long shot. Let's go."

The cruiser started and the buffalo drove it out of the underground parking lot. As everyone was here, Judy found it to be the best time to announce her discovery.

"While I was reviewing the file on our suspects, I came across something interesting." Every mammal focused their attention on her. "It's not much of a lead but there was a modification in the schedule of one of the guards. Seems he switched place with the one on duty, the day of Bellwether's disappearance. In itself, it doesn't mean much, but I'm certain the writing on the two schedules aren't the wardens."

"Could the head warden be out of the loop on this ?" asked Wolford. "Even if he didn't know at the time, it seems unlikely to me he didn't discover it afterwards. You think he could be an accomplice too ?"

Panda chimed in "If the schedules are made in advance, it's possible he didn't remember. And he's not really in on the investigation since he's a suspect too. So if he didn't check this by himself, it's possible he hasn't noticed it yet."

"In any case, it could be a good idea to interrogate this Peter Racton." remarked the bunny as the cruiser stopped in city hall's parking lot.

...

"Officer Hopps, chief Bogo, I'm glad to see you ! And you must be the officers Wolford and Blackfur." said the mayor with a professionnal but warm smile as she shaked the paws of the mammals she hadn't met before.

"Nice to meet you mayor Swinton." said Wolford.

"Pleased to meet you also." declared Blackfur.

The mayor accompagnied them to a lounge where a snacks and drinks had been served. Once they were all installed the mayor gave the bunny a piece of paper. "It's your speech. I made a couple of modifications that I'm sure you will like."

Judy took a quick read. It was obvious the mayor had a long experience on writing those kinds of things. It was unusual for a politician to write their own speeches, but it simply proved than Swinton made a point to master every aspect of her job. Though there was a few expressions the bunny wouldn't usually use, it all seemed goos to her. As she was about to thank the mayor, her phone rang. She took it out as force of habit. Unknown number. She clicked the green icon and put it to her ear.

"Officer Judy Hopps ?"

"Hello, Frank speaking." came a calm voice, with slight hints of stress, that she immediately recognized.

 _What the hell ?_

She couldn't keep her eyes to shoot wide open and every mammal in the room noticed her startled expression.

"Is everything alright Hopps ?" asked the chief with a concerned face.

"Yes, everything's fine but I really need to take this right now. Privately." the doe answered in an apologetic tone.

The mayor pointed at a door in the corner of the room. "You can take it in here, it's a meeting room."

Since she had her phone in hand, the wolf pushed her to the door and closed it behind her.

"Is everything alright ? What's the emergency ?" she almost shouted at her phone.

"Are you really having a press conference right now ?"

Judy froze. Was it about that ? How on earth could he consider this important enough to call her. "Yes, I am. Tell me it's not the reason you're calling me."

There was a slight pause. "I was worried." Came his apologetic voice.

Judy sighed "Nick, you're not supposed to call me except in case of emergency. Don't call me just because you're worried about a tiny little press conference." She underplayed it a bit. The thing had made her stress climb sky high, but it was still no reason for him to risk his cover.

"Sorry Carrots. It's just... Last time you had to answer question from the press-"

"You're afraid I'll put my paw in my mouth again ?"

The fox thought about it for a few seconds, but that was not it. He knew how much public attention could be stressful to her. She liked how mammals recognized her in the street, but he had seen her repeatedly having trouble to deal with crowds. But that was not why he had called.

"I'm sorry" he said "It's just- I know how you don't like to be in the spotlight. I wish I could be here to support you. I should be."

"Ni- Frank" she said, a habit she had to take not to risk blowing his cover at the most inoportune time. "I can deal with this on my own. And I'm not really alone, the chief is here and so are Wolford and Blackfur. I think you're even more stressed than I am."

Nick had flinched at her calling him by his alias, but he understood the necessity. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry. It's the bond. The more we're appart, the more it pulls."

"You think you'll be able to make it to the end of the week ?"

The fox chuckled. "I will, don't worry... It was good to hear your voice."

Judy blushed "It was good to hear yours. I have to go, I don't want to be late at the conference. See you soon."

"Love you."

"Love you too." she said, hanging up.

Her heart was beating fast, his call had made her realise how much she missed him. And they had been appart for less than three days. This operation was going to be hard.

She stared blankly at the wall, as to regain her composure, then headed back to the lounge where the mammals were having a quiet discussion about the ongoing investigation.

"Sorry about that." she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Is everything okay ?" asked Blackfur. The bunny undestood the underlying implication of the question.

"Perfectly okay." The bunny looked at the time. "Only fifteen minute left. Any last recommandations ?"

"You know the drill officer. You don't divulge anything about the investigation, and you stick to the facts."  
Even though he hadn't meant it like that, Judy couldn't help being sent back to the fiasco of her first press conference.

"The journalists will try to press you with a lot of question. The best way to calm them down is to answer the question of those who are the most respectful." explained the mayor "Do that a couple of time, and they should begin to act more civilized." she had a discreetly sly grin "Stay calm, you run the show."

As they approached the city hall's front exit, Judy couldn't shake the impression she was about to face a firing squad. She had had the time to study the speech the mayor had given her. The doors opened and she rolled out, her partners and the chief behind her. The mayor approached the rostrum. She tapped the microphones a couple of time and began speaking.

* * *

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019, 11:48AM_

Nick had just hung up an tried to relax, but he couldn't get rid of the knot in his guts. He knew her bunny was strong enough to face the press, that she could hold herself in front of a crowd. She wasn't the type of mammal that did the same mistake twice. But still, he was worried. He had this vision of his mate alone in front of a crowd of predators ready to lunge at her at the first mistake.

He felt silly. She was much stronger than that. Judy could take on anything, any challenge, any task, and complete it with a smile. It was why he had fallen for her. The upbeat attitude she kept while facing adversity.

The fox left his room and went to the kitchen. Food had been stored in the drawers prior to his arrival, but there wasn't much choice beside canned food and instant noodles. He chose the latter and put it to heat in the microwave. His lunch was ready in a minute and he went back to slump on the couch, in front of the old TV.  
It already showed live feeds of the press event, a journalist was speaking in front of the camera, detailing what the schedule would be.  
First the mayor would say a few words and then Judy would come to make a speech and answer some question. After that, the mayor would be back and deal with the press.

The fox, his noodle cup between his knees, waited with growing apprehension for the beginning of the event. He saw the mayor approach the rostrum.  
"Hello, ladies and gentlemammals, I am delighted that so much of you have joined us for this event. The key topic of the day are the attacks on the city perpertrated by outlaw mammals. First, officer Judith Laverne Hopps wish to make a short speech, she has accepted to answer some questions afterwards. Lieutenant Hopps, the stage is yours."

The mayor took a few steps back and Nick saw a pair of mammal coming with a ramp so his mate could be high enough to be seen behind the rostrum. The bunny made a sign to stop them, took out the telescopic crutches and stood up, slowly making her way to the center of the stage.

Nick almost spilled his noodle cup "What the hell are you doing Judy ?" he shouted. She stared at her face, anticipating an expression of pain, as he buried hiw claws in his palm. She was careful not put any weight on her bad leg, and so made it to the microphone without so much of a hint of discomfort. The fox slowly exhaled the breath he was holding.

It had been a spur of the moment. The bunny wanted to show she didn't think herself as beaten or diminished. She didn't need the help. As she settled in front of the crowd, she noticed it had fallen completely silent, some of them staring at her with blend of apprenhension, disbelief and respect. She took advantage of it and began talking.

"First and foremost, in behalf of the ZPD, I'd like to express again our deepest sympathy toward the mammals, officers of the law or otherwise, that have fallen or been injured during those dark events. I can assure you nor I, nor my colleague will find rest until those responsible are brought to justice." She made a slight pause, looking around the crowd to see the effect of her words. The journalists not carrying microphones were scribbling frantically, and most mammals seemed to be hanged to her every word.

"I know the good citizens are growing restless. I know some of you are afraid, desperate... I know I was." She said giving a glance to her leg. "But we must not lose hope. We must not turn against each other. We must find in ourselves the strength to unite. Poor or rich, predator or prey, old or young, to the smallest mouse to the biggest elephant, our differences do not matter. United, we're stronger than those who have attacked us." She punched the wooden board, making some of the microphone vibrate. The crowd had begun to liven up, some citizen behind the journalists and the security barrier were cheering and waving in agreement. She gave it time to let it die down before ending her speech in a more calm and encouraging tone.

"All we have to do is try, and we will make the world a better place."

The crowd exploded in cheering. The bunny's positive nature had sipped to the civilians as the mayor had planned. Now she hoped the journalist wouldn't come up with question that were too tricky. She knew she'd be able to spin them well enough to obtain the desired effect. But she knew the bunny didn't have that sort of skill.

"Now, I know the press have some questions for me. I'll try to answer them the best I can."

The moment those words had left her lips, the questions started raining upon her. She felt the overwhelming sensation of her first press conference wash over her but she held back, her paws firmly holding the rostrum's edges.

Nick felt a growl growing in his throat as the journalist assaulted her mate with questions. That was the thing he had anticipated. The thing he feared. He saw the shift in her expression as she held herself against the roaring wave. He could feel her fear from where he standed. But the resolve came back, and her professionnal expression too, firmly locking itself on her face.

The fox felt pride. That was his bunny, facing her fear head on. He saw her point to a journalist, a moose with a grey shirt, so he would repeat his question.

"Is it true you're already back on duty ? Isn't your injury a liability ?"

It was an easy question. "It's true that I am back on duty. But I'll stick to desk tasks as long as my injury isn't fully healed. The chief and me have agreed on it."  
Just as she answered another journalist cut in. "How serious was your injury ?"

The bunny remembered the advice the mayor had given her, to keep control, to chose the questions, but she decided to answer nonetheless. "I was shot in the knee with a high caliber ammo. My hinder leg was ripped off but the doctor made an excellent job reattaching it."

The answer cooled down the spectators. Nick himself winced at the memory. The camera panned and zoom on the crowd to show their reactions, most mammal wore shockedn, concerned or empathetic expressions.

The journalists fired their questions again, Judy chose to answer one from a jackrabbit. He wasn't shouting as loud as the others but seemed to be bouncing in place.

"Officer Hopps, we know that your partner, Nicholas Wilde is in a coma. Some sources and witnesses declared your injuries were worse than his when you left the scene."

"What is your question, mister ?"

"Well, I wonder how come, if his injuries were lighter than yours, his condition is now worse."

Judy had anticipated this question. The doctors had fabricated a fake file with plausible injuries and complications. The doe had studied it, just so she could give an answer. "His injuries only seemed to be less threatening than mine. A bullet caught one of his lung and he lost a lot of blood. As a result, his brain lacked oxygen for a few seconds and he has fallen into a coma. I know there were other complications, but I couldn't explain them to you since I am not a doctor."

Some other journalist tried to ask question on the same topic but she chose to ignore them. She wasn't the best liar and would rather thread lighlty. "You there, the lamb, with the pink dress" she said pointing to one who seemed more quiet and shy than the other journalist.

"Do you believe the disappearance of Bellwether is linked to the mass shooting case ? They happenned at the same time after all."

This was a difficult question. She considered dismissing it, but she knew a silence could be worse than a guarded answer. She recounted in her head which elements could be made public and which couldn't, glancing at the chief. His face was a blank mask, but she could feel he didn't like the question either.

"For now, we do not have any element proving that the two cases are linked. We're still treating them at separate cases. But rest assured the officers in charge of those investigations communicate on their leads. There is nothing else the ZPD can disclose at the moment on the matter."

The doe could see her answer wasn't satisfying, but she wouldn't give anything else. Judy's team was working both cases, but it was better to let believe that they were a bit behind on the matter. She chose another journalist.

"The weasel, on the edge of the crowd."

"Miss Hopps, there are some theories on your relationship with your partner. Some of them imply that you are more than friends. Do you have anything to say about this ?"

That came out of nowhere and almost threw the doe off balance. All the other journalists had now a highly interested expression and the crowd behind them had fallen mostly silent.

She knew that sooner or later, their relation would have to come out, but she refused for it to happen like this. Not alone facing a crowd, away from her mate.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I have something to say about this. Me and my partner are more than friends. Nicholas Wilde is my best friend, and the most kind and turstworthy mammal I know. Doing this job without him is the hardest challenge I've ever had to face."

When the question had been spoken, the vulpine had winced in front of the screen. That was bad. Even though he sometimes wanted to scream the love he had toward his bunny to the world, it wasn't how he envisionned it would discover it. He anxiously waited the doe's answer, gnawing at his fist. It hit him like a truck. She hadn't lied, she had said exactly what she meant. It was written on her face. He felt a tear of joy and longing rolling down his cheek.

"I love you so much, you wonderful bunny." he wiped the tear and chuckled. "This bond is turning me into an emotional bunny. Great."

Even though she couldn't see who did, she could clearly hear one of the journalist mutter "Even though he's a fox ?" With the calm that had reached the event, the sentence was loud enough to be relayed by the microphone given to the journalist, and through the speakers. If the mood was calm before, it fell down to complete silence, each mammal looking at one another to guess who had dared say this.

Judy felt warmth come to her face, but fought the anger that rose inside her. Instead she took a page of the chiefs book and ran her coldest glare on the group of journalist. Some of them looked like they tried to shrink. Her voice was an icy shard as she answered. "Yes. Even though he's a fox."

This had dampened the mood. The bunny wanted nothing more than to leave the stage, but she couldn't leave the situation like this. It could give a bad image to the ZPD. She pointed to a wolf among the other journalist that seemed like he felt less guilty than the others.

"What kind of action is the ZPD taking to prevent another shooting incident."

It was a good question. The bunny couldn't talk about the undercover operation, but she had something else to give. "As some of the citizen have probably noticed, we have reinforced our presence in most part of the city, mainly those that could be targets, like malls and major trafic intersections."

She chose another journalist, a giraffe that was towering above her colleagues. "Some sources have reported that the shooters were drooling and had a strange attitude, stumbling steps, snarling, like they were drugged. Could it have any link with the nighthowler ?"

The doe knew that this question would be asked sooner than later. The presence of nighthowler in the drugged mammal system hadn't been divulged yet, and she didn't have the authority to talk about it. "The shooters were on drug, that is true. About the nighthowler, this is a lead the ZPD has not excluded, but the blood is still being analysed, so there is nothing more I can say at the moment."

She heard the mayor approach behind her and put her hooves on her shoulder. "I think we can all thanks officer Hopps from having given us some of her time. She's a reminder of the good work and sacrifices the mammals of the ZPD do for this city."

The mayor shook the bunny's paw as the two females turned to face the flashes of the camera, both wearing warm smiles. As Judy went back to sit on her wheelchair and left the stage, she gave a sigh of relief.

"That wasn't so bad." Said the chief.

"Not so bad ?" chimed in Wolford "Don't listen to the chief Judy, you were perfect."

"Thanks guys. I must admit I thought I'd do worst."

"Remember we have started a fund to help the shooting's victims. You can donate your money through City Hall's websi-"

Nick turned off the TV with a big smile. He was proud of his mate, he couldn't have done better himself, and he was the sweet talker. He began cleaning the mess he had done with noodle cup when his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Hello, Frank Grayfox speaking."

"Frank ! It's your good friend Vladimir." Nick had recognized the voice as soon as he had heard the first word. The overly cheery tone put him on edge. "Your rendez-vous will be today at 4PM at mister Big's house. Come to my place to get the cash and a car."

"I'll be there in three hours."

"Great ! See you soon."

The wolf hung up. Nick sighed. He thought he would have more time to prepare, there was no way he could think of something in such a tight timeframe. He'd have to wing it.  
Even with the lack of time, he appreciated the straightforward way of the mob. Contrary to the police, there weren't several layer of bureaucratic crap to go through before being allowed taking actions. And no reports afterwards. Scratch that, he'll have to report on his actions to his liaison at the end of the week.


	13. A Target On His Head

_**Fox in the hen house :** If she had seen who had said it, she would have made him wish he had ;)_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** It's a funny thing, how investigations work. One has to count on the mistakes the criminal leave behind them to get to the bottom of things. With that interview, I was trying to show that despite her wound Judy had toughen. I think I did._

 _ **seth. quisler :** I didn't get everything, but I did for most of it. A thing to know is that most of this story is already planned, and I won't say if any of the thing you suggested are already in that plan. However I'm opened to suggestion, so don't hesitate to share your ideas._

 _And since I know I don't write it enough : **Thank you all for your reviews.**_

 _By the way, for those who were wondering we're barely halfway into the story. And I'm including Part 0 and Part 1. I'll let you do the math on how many more things are too come. Spoilers : Plenty._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 13 :** A Target On His Head_

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019_

The fox was driving the car lended by Vladimir, a big bag of cash on the passenger seat. The fox smirked. If he hadn't reformed, it could have been his easiest con ever. He'd simply have to go back to his identity as Nick and keep the money. Simple as that.

The mammal Vladimir wanted back had to be important, it wasn't every day mobster would be ready to pay fifteen thousand dollars simply to get one of his mammals back.

Nick tried to formulate a plan as the road took him to his destination. He'd first have to formulate this in a way that would make the negociator think letting the hostage loose was good for them. It was especially hard since he didn't know what the hyena had really done. Maybe he could discover it once at the rendez-vous.  
He pulled over near the gate of Big's estate, pushing the intercoms button. "I have an appoitment with Robert." he said, the sentence he was supposed to say to be let in. The gates smoothly opened and he parked himself next to a limo. He left his car and shivered, Tundratown was a cold place, linked with some of his worst memories.

He nodded at Manchas, leaned against the hood, a smartphone in hand. The panther distractingly nodded back, seeming like he hadn't recognized the fox. As Nick approached the large doors, they opened, showing a large white bear in a tracksuit, motioning him to come inside. He was searched and disarmed, but didn't mind. The fox was lead to a small lounge. There were a few armchairs and a sofa around a coffe table. One of the seat was facing all the others and Nick knew he'd have to sit in this one, but he waited to be invited to do so.

"Sit here and wait." said the bear in an eastern accent. The fox obliged, putting the bag at his feet. Anyone in his stead would be stressed, but the fox knew the place, the people and their habits. The negociator would make him wait at least ten minutes to krank up his discomfort and let him talk first.

Nick regretted not to have his smartphone to pass time. He leaned back and rested his mind instead, preparing himself for what would follow.

Soon enough, the doors opened again. Koslov got in, with two others white bears. He sat heavily on the couch and stared at the fox.

Nick tweaked his own expression a bit. No signature smirk, but a mask of professionnalism and confidence.

"My name is Frank, and you must be Koslov." It wasn't a risk to mention his knowledge of mister Big's second in command. He was relatively known in the underworld.

"As you know, I've come here to negociate for the realease of Robert. Whatever the hyena has done, I'm sure it can be overlooked. I would even risk saying it's an opportunity." The fox locked in his gaze into the bear's. He had been deliberately evasive. He had to establish communication and the best way to do so was to provoke some curiosity, and have the guarded ursine saying something to him.

"How so ?"

 _Bingo._

Still hidden behind his mask, Nick leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees, chin on his paws. "I know Big's and Zimovitch's family aren't in the best terms, especially after this incident. But I believe cooperation is better than war." Again in this battle of gaze. The fox was used to it, it had multiple applications. It could be flirty, to get one to buy what he had sell. It could be intimidating, to get one to back down. And like here, it could be resolute, showing the absence of doubt and his good faith. Pretense good faith.

"Doesn't tell me how this is an opportunity."

 _But you want it to be an opportunity, don't you ?_

"The other minor families could interpret any of ours showing a willingness to cooperate as a proof of weakness. Any movement, shift in a mob business is a play on a large board, wouldn't you agree ?"

The bear nodded in agreement, but his stern expression was still perfectly unreadable.

"Then" continued the fox. "I think this hostage negociation could be turned into a cooperation negociation. No one would know of it, of course, but it could set the fundation of an alliance."

Nick was playing with fire. He knew of Vladimir's opportunistic nature well enough and was pretty sure he wouldn't refuse an alliance with Big, but he didn't have the authority to make any promises.

The shadow of a smirk appeared on the bear's mouth. Good news or bad news, it was too soon to tell.

"Allying with another family, or at least sharing some business could be a good idea, yes. But this family doesn't need it. Nor does it want to ally itself with the likes of Zimovitch."

 _You're making the right move here, Koslov, but I can't say it's convenient to me._

"Besides, you're new to this city Frank. You now the underworld, but not this one. And I doubt you have any authority to strike a deal between us and Vladimir."  
So the family had had the time to dig up some info on Vladimir's negotiator in such short notice. They knew he was new, they knew he wasn't really part of Zimovitch's crew. Big's informant network was as good as ever, if not even better. They had moles everywhere, and it was pretty obvious some were inside Zimovitch's family.

"I'm simply a new piece on Vladimir's side of the board. Do you think he'd have sent me here without any bargaining chip ?"

"I think he's trying to see if you'll get killed by being to insistant on a task you can't complete. All you have is that bag at your feet."

The fox had a last card to play. Nick knew Frank needed allies, and powerful ones. It was the best way to draw the right kind of attention, the one that opened doors and made mammals want him on their side. It wasn't enough to show that Frank could survive a stupid and impossible task, he had guessed it was a simple test. But he had to complete it. Nick took a decision. He picked up the bag and opened it, letting it fall on the coffee table, spilling a bit of its content.

"You're right. The _snow still_ falls on Tundratown. Our time is too precious to wait for it to stop. Time to talk seriously."

Nick could see the effect of the emphasis he had put on those words on the bear's face. It was subtle, but the bear winced, one of his ears twitched and his gaze turned to murderous.

"Both of you out." Said the bear to his henchmen. They left without a word, perplexity on their faces.

Even though the temperature was always kept to mild in Big's house, the fox felt like it had dropped significantly.

"Give me one good reason to not execute you where you stand." The bear's tone was colder than death.

"It all depends on how stupid you believe I am. Would I have dropped this without insurance ?"

"Mr Big knows."

 _Alright, bluffing time._

"But not the rest of the mob. Can you imagine what it would do to the family's reputation if everymammal knew Mr Big cooperated with... Your ex-employers." Nick couldn't control his smirk. This was too good. He didn't have anything against the bear, if anything, he respected him. But having the power over Mr Big's second in command, on his turf, was exhilarating.

"It's not something the ZIA would give you the authority to divulge." the bear growled. So the room was secured, Koslov wouldn't have taken the risk of saying those three words otherwise.

"Who says I am ZIA ? All this is beside the point, all I want is you giving back Robert, and I'll get out of your fur."

The white bear leaned forward, threateningly showing his teeth.

"It's not a good idea using blackmail against me, little fox. You'll get what you want, but you will pay for it sooner than later."

"It's not blackmail. I'm paying you to release him." Nick's smirk was still in place, but he knew he was way past playing with fire. He had just painted a target on his head, and there weren't many ways to get rid of it. If he played his cards well enough, he could turn the table. He knew it. "But since you seem so eager for me to blackmail you, why don't you ask Mr Big to come here, so we can all discuss this like civilized mammals. Please." He said, making the 'please' sound awfully like an 'or else'.

The bear was fuming. This little fox was putting the family at risk. And he did so with a contempt smile, completely oblivious to the danger. It wasn't the first time Koslov wanted to kill someone, but not this much. The bear took out his phone and quickly dialed a number. "Hello mister. I need you to come to the lounge in the left wing. It's about the hyena. Yes it's very important." The bear took the coffe table and put it aside, putting a high chair in its place. Nick knews it was to put the shrew on it, he didn't like to be looked upon from above. A bear opened the door and placed Mr Big and his armchair on the one Koslov had put in place. The second in command came back to sit near his boss.

"Hello son, my name is Mr Big."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Frank Grayfox."

Nick bowed, showing respect.

"So, Koslov here seems to think my presence is necessary. I highly suggest none of you make me lose my time over this hyena."  
Nick had put back the professional mask and simply uttered two words. "Snow still." He should have revealed his true intent right away, but he couldn't keep himself from playing a bit first. The occasion was too good.

The shrew's stern demeanor turned to cold and threatening.

"I have already played the ZIA's game. If you believe you can blackmail me or threaten my family, know that I'll burn this city to the ground before I let it happen."

"As I expect you to. I suppose you didn't have any intent to release Robert in the first place, so I want to know why you put in place this mascarade of a negociation."

"Word goes around mister Grayfox. I don't know why, but there are quiet rumors about you. I can't pinpoint their origins, so I wanted Koslov to gauge you himself. I couldn't pass up this opportunity." That sentence meant someone in Vlad's entourage had given his identity to the shrew. Rumors were true, the Big's family had informants everywhere. "I now know what I need. You're a crazy ZIA agent with a death wish. One I am willing to grant." Nick would never have believed a shrew could have such a predatory grin. He repressed a shiver. It was time to drop the bomb.

"So I suppose an alliance would be out of question ?"

"Yes it is."

"If Frank Grayfox can't convince you-" began the fox, theatrically taking off his contact lenses, and putting on the trademark grin "-what about Nicholas Piberius Wilde ?"

Blowing his cover to the most powerful crimeboss wasn't the smartest move. As Nick saw the shrew's mouth slightly open in surprise, the fox decided it was worth it.

Koslov shifted from contained anger to indignantly pissed. The fox had made a fool out of him after all.

"You sly little piece of-" began the ursine but a wave from mister Big shut him up. The shrew opened his arms in a welcoming gesture, and Nick gave him what could come as close a hug considering their difference in size. "Nick, I thought you were in a coma !"

"It's my cover story, I'd appreciate if you keep all this under wrap." The fox put the contact lenses back on.

A silence fell on the room, and the shrew ended up breaking it. "What's happenning Nick ? Why are you working with the ZIA ?"

"I'm trying to infiltrate the group that organized the attacks around the city. I'm following a lead. Vladimir should be able to put me in contact with a group that only recrute foxes. I think him sending me here is a test, and I'm trying to blow him away by actually succeeding his impossible task. And keep my pelt if I can."

"Maybe threatening me from blackmail wasn't the smartest move then." snorted the bear.

"You wouldn't have given me the hyena otherwise, am I right ?" laughed the fox "Besides, I'm sure we will be able to work something satisfying for all parties involved."

"You threatened to blackmail Koslov about his ZIA past ? You know I'm aware of it."

"You are, not the rest of the city. Don't worry though, I would never put you, nor your family at risk. You know me, always bluffing."

The shrew sighed, and put on a mask of reflectiveness. The fox was polite enough to let him go through his thought process.

"I can give you the hyena, but this money won't be enough. You will owe me unless you have anything to add to the table."

"I'll owe you as Frank, not Nick, then. Which means there won't be the same legal limits to my actions, but I will not harm nor kill another mammal for you."

"That's fair. I'll also appreciate if you could give me any information you would come across, regarding things that could interfere with my operations. Coming from Vladimir, or this group you try to infiltrate."

"Of course. I don't have extensive knowledge of what you do or do not control though. And I won't give you information that would put this infiltration at risk."

"Then it's settled." The shrew extended his paw and Nick shook it lightly.

"I forgot to ask, what did this hyena do for you to capture him ?"

"He was trying to kidnap some mammal. The daughter of some shop owner under my protection. Seems our good Vlad hasn't completely given up on his favorite business. He got caught by some of my bears as he was trying to push her in a van."

 _Wonderful, I juste saved the life of an asshole._

"Knowing you, I'm surprised you didn't ice him right away."

The shrew shrugged. "I must be getting soft."

 _Sure, and I'm a sheep in disguise._

The fox left the house with an empty bag and a twitchy hyena on his heels. He had a bruised eye and was limping. They entered the car and Robert took the passenger seat, Nick started the car and left the estate. As soon as they had passed the gates, the hyena seemed to relax.

"Happy to be out, I take it."

The hyena glanced at him but didn't answer.

"How did you get caught ?"

"The bitch woke up and screamed."

Nick wanted to punch his passenger in the face. He wanted to make a U-turn and give him back to Mr Big. But he kept driving in silence and soon they were back to Vlad's hangar. Nick parked the car and they entered the premises.

"Robert ! Dearest of all my friends, you're safe !" The wolf hugged the hyena, and helped him limp to a chair near the back of the hangar.

"Yes chief. After the beatdown, I don't know how I can still walk. Thanks for sending someone to get me."

The wolf served the hyena a glass of vodka. "You know I take good care of my associates."

Nick looked around, this part of the hangar was a bit secluded, hidden behind shelves. There were brown traces on the walls and floor, some paint must have been spilled at least a few weeks back. And there was a strange lingering but disturbing smell.

"Ah ! That hit the spot !" Said the hyena downing the drink.

"Cigarette ?" Proposed the wolf. The hyena took one and Vlad lighted it for him.

Nick smelled the strange scent again. It was faint, but was associated with ominous feelings.

"You should be more careful Robert. You're getting sloppy." The canid patted the hyenas shoulder in a fatherly fashion. "It's the third time you screw up this year. And we're only in february." Chuckled Vlad.

Nick recognized the smell. It was the smell of dry blood.

"I'm sorry boss, I won't disappoint you again."

"Of course you won't." Nick caught the glimmer in the wolf's eye before seeing the blade in his paw. Even then he knew what would happen and had to fight back his reflexes to not act. Vlad pulled back the hyena's head and slit his throat in a swift and controlled motion. The hyena jerked and slumped on the floor, pressing his paws on the gaping wound. His gurggles almost made Nick gag. There was nothing that could be done now. In a matter of second, he stopped moving.

The wolf looked at his paws "I should really think about putting gloves on before doing that." he said casually, while going away and motioning the fox to follow him.  
"If you were going to do that anyway, you could have spared us both the trouble and let mister Big do it." Said Nick as casually as he could while the wolf was rincing his paws.

"Of course, but I wanted to know what kind of mammal you were. There was plenty of way this could go, but I didn't think you'd be able to bring him back. What did you tell the shrew so he'd let Robert go ?"

"Trade secret." smirked the fox. "Why kill Robert ?"

"There is only so many mistakes one can make before being caught up on by the consequences. My other associates must understand that my mercifulness has limits."  
Nick shrugged. "I suppose we all must pay for our sins. Did I pass your test ?"

"You're a direct mammal, I like that. Yes you did. I will probably have more work for you and I'll get the word around that you are as skilled as Jack says." The wolf took out his wallet and pulled some banknotes. "Here's your payment."

There was around a thousand dollars that Nick quickly pocketed. He didn't like the idea of taking blood money, but he would have to get himself used to it for the time being. He left the hangar and went back to his appartment. It was almost 6PM when he closed the door behind him and slumped against it.

Two days. It had ony been two days and he was already responsible for another mammals' death. He went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. No he wasn't responsible. The hyena would have died anyway, either killed by Mr Big or Vlad. It didn't make any difference.

The fox punched the wall.

But it did, the fox did have time to react, he could have disarmed the wolf. And risk destroying what trust he had started building between them ? Was the death of one low-life worth risking the operation ?

He knew what path led to this low-life's position, he had almost taken it himself.

He punched the wall again.

"FUCK !"

Nick was not looking forward to the weekend. Sure he would be able to see his bunny, but what would she think when she would know what he had done. Or more precisely not done. A civilian had died because of his inaction. He could have acted, he could have sweet talked his way out after having saved the hyena's life. But he had chosen the safest route.

His phone rang in his pocket. It was a text from Jack. "I just talked to Vlad. Congratulations, you did good." The fox almost threw his phone across the room. Instead he splashed his face again.

 _Do not let this get to you. You're stronger than this. You know you are._

And maybe he was. He chased the dark thoughts to the back of his mind, like he had done countless times before. He couldn't afford to let himself drown in guilt. He left his flat and went shopping for food, it was the first thing he had found to occupy his mind.

* * *

 _Was it tense ? I tried to make it tense._


	14. There Had to Be Something Else

_A big thank you to my readers and reviewers._

 _ **Robert Escher :** Maybe having no soul is what it takes to do this kind of job properly. Makes you wonder how long it takes for someone to lose their soul, doesn't it ?_

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** And movies are filled with the wisdom of the elders. That's true. I saw it in a movie once ;) _

_**Foxlover91 :** I'm never kidding. Except when I am. _

_Slow chapter incoming. I thought maybe we all needed a pause from all the dread and horror._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 14 :** There Had to Be Something Else_

 _Wednesday the 30th of January 2019_

Judy was back at her desk, she unlocked her computer and looked at the pile of files. There was something amiss. If Racton was the one that tampered with the camera system, he had to have extensive knowledge of the system. It meant a technical know-how way beyond standard computer skills. Forensic had already analysed the camera system and found only minor traces of what could have been abnormal activity. And it could simply be glitches in the stream of data, things that happened to every system.

They'd have to run a background check on the raccoon. What kind of studies he had pursued, what kind of acquaintances he had, did he have hacking as a hobby ?  
The bunny sighed. All this was only a hunch, conclusions drawn by different handwritings on a schedule, it was minor at most. The chief had to have a lot of faith in her to accept pursuing this lead with so little evidence. She had to find something else. There had to be something else.

There had been eight black vans, which meant at least eight drivers. As she recalled, the drugged mammals stumbled outside of them so chances were they had been pushed out. Considering that, there were at least eight more accomplices. Excluding the four that had taken the lamb, if the two event were linked.

Were the shooters accomplices ? She doubted it, they were all drugged out of their mind. Almost all of them had succumbed either to their wounds or the drugs, the few that remained were still in a coma. From what the ZPD labmammals had gathered, it was a mix of Nighthowler, BZ, alpha-PVP, and Benzodiazepines with a few other supposed compounds. According to the scientists, the cocktail was deadly and they still wondered how the shooters could stand, let alone be still alive. Even some of those that hadn't been shot had fallen due to the drugs. Heart failures and extensive brain damage.

Ironically, from all the mammals involved, the one that was in the best shape was the grizzly that had shot her. He was still unconscious. And along with him, three others were still alive, but according to the doctors, those three were as good as dead, their brain activity was non-existent.

The theory on why the grizzly was the less affected by the deadly effects of the drugs was simple, he was the biggest of the shooters, so chances were the dose he had received was smaller by comparison. In any case, the bunny looked forward to him waking up. She didn't have a lot of hope he would be able to give them informations, since the Nighthowler and Benzodiazepines were the best recipe for memory loss. But still.

There had to be something else.

What would Nick do ?

What would he think of ?

If he was a driver, where would he dispose of a van ?  
This wasn't the good question, all of the vehicles had now been found, including the one that had been used as a makeshift prison truck, each in a different place and burned to a crisp along with the evidence. The only clue that had been gathered was that their model was different. So where did they come from ? No licence plate, no traces on the matriculation records, which meant undeclared sales. Obviously. So she had to find a mammal willing to sell one or several trucks undeclared. There were some of them in the police records, ex-convicts, suspects, with shady garage business, but nothing big enough to deserve a warrant.

She had to find another angle, someone that could know this from the inside. Of course, Nick was out of the question, sending him to ask about those vans was the best way to blow his cover. But there was another fox that could do the trick. She had to call Finnick.

She quickly dialed his number and soon heard the deep voice of the fennec fox answer.

"Hey lil'missy, how are ya doin' ?"

"Fine Fin, you ?"

"Terrific. How's da leg ?"

"Healing, I hope. Am I catching you at a bad time ?"

"Nah. I wos working, but needed a breather anyway. Didja need sum'ting ?"

"Yup, I need a favor and maybe a big one."

"Let me put down mah things 'den." She heard a few clanking and the ruffle of a fabric. "Okay, watcha need ?"

"If you needed to buy one or several non-matriculated and undeclared vans, where would you go ?"

There was a silence on the other end of the line.

"I hope you ain't implying anything on mah baby." came the suspicious voice of the paranoid little vulpine.

Judy repressed a chuckle. "No I'm not. Are you alone where you are ?"

"I'm in back-alley, so no guarantee. Wait a sec." There was a slamming noise. "Okay, I'm in mah van, the thing's sound proof. So why you needin' this kinda info ?"

"I'm trying to pinpoint from where the van used in the attacks came from."

"I could help you do dat. If ya have the van models, I'm shure I can dig sum'ting up."

"No, just give me somewhere I could look for, I'll go see for myself."

She heard the fennec chuckle. "Shure. 'Cause if some mammal has anything to do wid' the attacks, they'll have neatly kept the evidence and will giv'em to ya wid' a smile."

Judy bit her lips. If her and a couple of officers came to so mammal business, it would draw attention, and she prefered to not give anything away as long as she could. Idealy, she wanted them to found the culprit before they could even realise the ZPD was onto them.

Or she could send some officer as a civilian. But the fennec knew this world, knew who to talk to and how to talk to them. It was a risk. Giving info on an ongoing case to a civilian could end her career. But she trusted the fennec. "I can send the models to you by text later. How do you intend to proceed ?"

"If it wos me dat wanted to get dose vans, I'd buy 'em all in different places, and maybe in separate pieces. So I'll go an' see some scrap yards an shit like 'dat. I'll be carefull, dontchu worry."

"Thanks Finnick, I'll send you all this right away."

"Okay miss, havanice day."

"You too."

She hung up and quickly sent a text with the model list to her friend. She'd have to keep this under wraps. If it birthed no results, she could simply forget about it, but if the fennec was caught snooping around it could lead to heavy repercussions.

In the meantime, the bunny had another idea. If the culprits had bought separate pieces to put together the vans, chances were that a few websites would have stored their selling history. She made a pause, it was probably something the computer forensic were already looking into. She decided to call them just to be sure.

"Officer Mouser." came a squeaky and bored voice.

"Hello, Officer Hopps speaking. Can I take a few minutes of your time ?"

She heard a sigh coming from the other side of the line. "Have you tried turning it off and on again ?"

"My computer's fine. I'm calling about the shooting investigation. It came to my attention that the van used could have been bought at some scrap yard and that the part used to put them together could come from different places."

"And ?"

"Well, maybe some of them have been bought on some websites, like Yakslist or something like that. Maybe we could take a look at their selling history."  
There was another sigh at the other side of the line, with mumbling about 'computer analphabets' "It's technically possible, but if the mammals that did this had half a brain, they would have used a VPN and false identity to connect to the website. And if I was them, I would have used several different accounts. And I'm not even talking about the number of things that are sold on the internet everyday. So as I was saying, it's technically possible, but it would take at least two months to peel this data, with everymammal on the team working on it full time. And this would be on a hunch that maybe those van were put together with separate pieces, so no guarantee we would even get the warrant for that."

Judy slumped on her seat. That what all she had. Hunches and breacrumbs. "You're right. I had to try."

"Yeah, yeah. Anything else ?"

"Not at the moment."

The mammal on the other side hung up unceremoniously.

 _So that was a dead-end. All I can do know is wait for the graphologist to analyse the schedules and Finnick to dig up something. I hope the grizzly will wake up soon._

She slumped back on her chair and huffed. She heard a thud and saw a mug on the corner of her desk. It was too far to reach, but Wolford slid it to her with a smile.

"Carrot flavoured decaf with cream. Four sugars."

Judy raised an eyebrow as she reached to take it. "Since when does the cafeteria have carrot flavoured decaf ?"

The wolf shrugged dismissively.

"It doesn't, he went to the Stagbuck next door and poured the coffe in a mug." Came Blackfur's voice as she entered the room, her own mug in hand.

"Wolford, this costs 4 bucks. Let me pay you back." She reached for her wallet.

"Nope. You're not doing that. In fact you're not doing anything for the next hour." He took the wheelchair handles and pulled her away from her desk.

"Wha- Hey, I still have work to do." she protested.

"The first thing you did when we came back from the press conference was to get back to your desk. You didn't even eat this noon."

"I had snacks in the lounge at city hall." she protested more weakly. She felt a bit hungry, but her task had priority.

"You had like, one little toast and you didn't even finish your carrot juice. I've bought some take out, let's go to the cafeteria."

"I can eat it here." She crossed her arms.

"While working ? Sure." Said the wolf with a taunting scowl "You need a pause Judy."

Judy turned to Blackfur. She was casually leaning against the door, sipping her mug. The panda smiled. "You'll get no support here, hon. I suggested it."  
The bunny raised her eyes to the ceiling as Wolford pushed her away. The panda followed them. She relaxed a bit and found that maybe her partners were right. She needed a pause, the healing process was tiring her, she didn't sleep well the night prior because of the press conference anticipation. She wasn't exhausted, but a good meal would do her good.

Blackfur got in front of them to open the cafeteria doors and held it for them.

"Welcome back Judy !" came multiple voices. Judy's eyes shot wide open woth surprise

It seemed almost the whole precinct had gathered. All her colleagues were smiling warmly and there was a huge cake on the tables in the center of the large room.

"Oh guys." she said, putting her paws to her mouth, whispering. "You shouldn't have."

Wolford was grinning from ear to ear as he pushed her toward her colleague. They all came in turn to greet her, some shaking her paw, some, like Clawfith or Fangmeyer, giving her a high five. Clawhauser gave her a warm fluffy hug, almost raising her from the wheelchair. The bunny had to fight back the tears of emotion.

"We wanted to do a proper welcome back party !" explained the excited cat as he was giving glasses around to everyone. Since most officers were still on duty, it was only fruit and vegetable juices. Chief Bogo was the one cutting the cake. Like his work, his slices were perfect, all evenly cut. Rhinowitz gave the plates around to everyone.

She took a bite of her cake. Of course, it was carrot flavoured. She sometimes wished everyone would stop assuming bunny loved carrots, even if most of them did. Everyone was chatting cheerfully and Judy was happy simply being there. Because of her wound, she mostly stayed in her office and missed the activity and chatter of the precinct. It was usual for Nick and her to take their laptop and go write their report in the cafeteria, where most of the precinct's social life happenned.  
Gloom came to her as she thought about Nick. She missed her fox, more than she had anticipated. She decided to put that in the back of her mind for now. It was a time of celebration and she refused to let her melancholy affect it.

Fangmeyer approached the bunny. "We wanted to do that for your arrival, but we didn't know you'd come back yesterday."

"Hadn't chief Bogo told you ?"

"No, he kept it a secret, he didn't want a leak and risk you being forced to face the journalists as soon as you left the hospital. The only ones that knew were Blackfur, Wolford and Clawhauser."

"Beside." said Clawhauser as he had come back with his own plate "The chief thought you'd need a little pick me up after the press event."

"Yeah, it went well, but it was still stressful."

"You nailed it though, the part where you talked about Nick was very nice too. And you made a perfect impression of the chief with your stern look."

"That you did !" confirmed the tiger. "I didn't know you had such a death stare."

"I learnt it from the best. By the way Fangmeyer, I have a question."

Wolford noticed the corner of a sly grin on the bunny's face.

"Yes?"

"Is there a pool on how soon Nick will stop being in a coma ?"

The tiger's eyes opened wide and he took an embarassed expression. "Yes, there is."

He expected she would scold him, but instead she said "I'd like to pitch in. Two hundred bucks on him waking sooner than anyone else has bet."

The tiger expression switched from embarassed to surprised. "You never bet."

"This time, I'm betting for Nick. I'm sure he'd like that."

 _Even more than anyone realises._

"You know someone has bet he will wake up at the end of next week."

"Then I bet he'll wake up sooner than that."

The tiger was puzzled. Was it her way to wish the fox would come to sooner ? He didn't want to squash her optimism so he simply accepted the banknotes she had taken out from her wallet.

The tiger went away, keeping his stunned expression.

Judy looked around and saw her temporary partners and Clawhauser giving her a half-puzzled and half-conniving look.

"What ?"

"Judy, that was a very 'Nick' thing to do." Said the cheetah with a smile.

"I know. But if he's not here, someone needs to take after him." she answered with a grin she had borrowed from her mate.

"I'm not completely sure chief Bogo would agree." Said the wolf with a chuckle.

The bunny finished her cake as Wolford trudged away, paws in his pockets. He jumped on a table an hollered at every one.

"Francine, I can see you from here, stop putting your trunk in the punch bowl. Just because it's alcohol free, it doesn't mean you should drink all of it. And that's gross." His intervention had made all mammals in the room chuckle and turn to him. Judy wondered what he was doing, she understood when she saw Blackfur leaned against the table he was standing on. She tried to join them but her wheelchair wouldn't budge, Clawhauser was holding it by the handles while wearing an innocent look.

"Since I now have your attention, I have something to say. Officer Blackfur and me wanted to be upfront about this. Since we're partnered up with Judy on the new Bellwether Investigation, we'll have regular hours for the next few months. We don't think it's very fair to you, but it's not like we could do anything about it." He made a slight pause. "Well we could, but it would either impair with Judy's healing or put us on different schedules. So that's that, we'll be having an unfair privilege for the next few months and we're sorry about it."

Most officers looked at eachother with perplexed faces. They didn't really care, they were all glad the bunny was back, and if her well-being meant two of their colleagues would have preferential treatment, they were mostly okay with that.

"That's not really an issue." came Rhinowitz's deep voice "And if the investigation is resolved sooner than the end of her recovery, she could switch partners to make it even." As always he was the voice of reason.

"I'm not sure, I've been partnered up with her a few times, I prefer the calm of a disrupted schedule over this crazy bunny. Have you seen her drive ?" It was Fangmeyer's voice. Judy gave him an annoyed but amused glare.

"You're just mad because she didn't wreck her cruiser on the first month and you lost your money in the pool. Beside, she can't really drive right now." shot back Wolford, still perched on the table.

"You made a pool on me crashing a cruiser ?" asked the bunny loudly in an outraged voice.

"We've even made a pool on you crashing the joke-mobile." deadpanned Grizzoli.

"Juste because I'm a female, or a bunny, it doesn't mean I don't know how to drive ! Beside, I wouldn't count on you to catch the runaways. You drive like my grandma, Wolford."  
He could have shot back, but Wolford prefered to let her have the last laugh. She didn't have Nick's retort and he felt like she needed to have the upper hand for a bit. The laughter in the cafeteria slowly died down and Rhinowitz talked again.

"I think I'm talking for any mammal here when I say we don't mind. It's not as if you asked for it with those reasons in mind."

Wolford nodded. "Yeah, that's true. So if no one cares, I think it's settled." The wolf jumped down from his perch. "Nice, a few months of relaxing desk job, and no one to complain about it. I could get used to this." He felt the light smack of the panda's large paw on the back of his head. It made him chuckle. The large ursine had taken a liking for his humour, he poked fun at the others as much as at himself. The bunny had started working with them for only two days, but having spent time with them on the job for several months she could discern the pattern in their relationship. Technically, Wolford was the highest ranking officer of the two, as he was, like the bunny, a lieutenant, having spent three years at the academy. But the panda had a way longer experience on the field, she was the voice of reason even if she was less set on the rules than he was.

They were back at Judy's side and Clawhauser had let go of the handles. "You asked for Ben to keep me from coming didn't you ?"

"Yes. It was our issue, not yours." said the panda.

"It's related to me though, I think I could have been here with you."

"It's better this way. We can't be one hundred percent certain that every one in the precinct is alright with the situation. That way, there is more chance all this will only fall on us if it does." Explained Wolford.

They were right, there wasn't really anything she could do about this, but if she hadn't insisted to get back on duty, her friends wouldn't be in this situation.

The festivities slowly died down. Technically every mammal here was still on duty, so they couldn't stay for too long. The bunny and her colleagues were on their way back to their office when she heard Snarlov hollering behind them.

"Hey Hopps!"

She stopped in the middle of the hallway and waved at Wolford and Blackfur. "Go ahead, I know the way." she smiled. Her colleagues left her as the white bear approached. "What is it ?"

The ursine looked around making sure no one could hear him. "It's not really important, but I think you should know that I'm aware of you and Nick being together." the bunny was a bit taken aback by this declaration. How could he know ? Nothing in her memory could shed light on this, so she simply asked. "How ?"

"What's the last thing you remember of the day of the shooting ?"

She jogged her memory and answered hesitantly. "You and Rhinowitz arriving at the scene. Then I lost consciousness."

The polar bear scratched his head. "You don't remember everything. Don't worry, it's pretty normal."

Judy's brows furrowed. "I did something after you arrived ?"

Snarlov felt a bit embarassed but answered anyway. "Yeah, just before you really lost consciousness, you told Nick you loved him and he said he loved you back."  
Judy's face shot red. "Oh." she looked down at the floor. "Did anything else happen ?"

"No, you lost consciousness and-" he was about to tell her the state it had put Nick in, but chose not to do so. It was a resolved matter and she didn't need to worry about that. "and the ambulance arrived. They put you on a stretcher and you know the rest. Rhinowitz knows too, but we've decided to keep that to ourselves. It's your business."

Judy nodded. She appreciated her colleagues discretion. "Thanks, we wanted to keep this under wraps for now. I know some people won't approve of this so we've decided to wait before revealing it."

The Rhino shrugged. "Yeah, I understand. A few months back, I would have found it really strange, but I've seen how you are around eachother. Hell, most of the precinct did. I don't believe anyone here would really have anything against it."

"That's good to know." smiled the bunny. "Do you need anything else ?"

The bear looked around again. No one was coming. "Yeah, actually. What is it about Nick being in a coma. Rhinowitz and me have kept our mouth shut too since the chief asked us, but he didn't say more."

The bunny bit her lips. She couldn't give a straight answer to that. She chose the middle path. "I don't have the authority to say anything about this." This way, the bear knew something was afoot and that it was important enough that he should not try to find out.

"Understood. I think that's all I had to say." he said straightening up as he had leaned to talk with her.

"Just so you know, Blackfur, Wolford, Clawhauser and chief Bogo know about me and Nick being together. I'd bet MacHorn knows too, but I didn't check."

"Okay. I have to get back to my office now, have a nice day."

"You too Snarlov."


	15. Sway With Me

_Hello readers, it's so nice to see you today. Thank you for reading my story and special thanks to the ones that have posted reviews._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** I think it's probably going to be the only time Judy will ever participate in a wager._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I think it's important to for the character to have slow times once in a while._

 _Suggestion : look for Sway Jennifer Connelly on youtube, the 1:41 version. You'll see why later._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 15:** Sway With Me  
_

 _Friday the 30th of January 2019_

Nick got up from the couch. He had fallen asleep and wiped off drool on his cheek. He went to the bathroom and checked himself out. His hair was a bit of a mess so he arranged it. Not that it would really matter at the place he was going to spend the evening, but he hated to look unkept. Any con-mammal knew that good looks mattered.

He couldn't recognize the fox he saw in the mirror. The grey furred and brown eyed fox, wearing the blue jeans and fake leather jacket was so alien. Would he have crossed path with himself, he probably would have been wary. The fox took his most menacing expression. Yeah, he could see it work with the extra buff his jacket faked. But he'd have to gain a bit of muscle to back-up his demeanor. Sometimes, being scary wasn't enough.

The fox had left his appartment and took the direction of the dive he had found the day prior. On his way, he took a hot-dog at a booth. He hadn't eaten this evening and since he was probably going to drink, he didn't want to do it on an empty stomach.  
The bar wasn't crowded, but there were much more patrons than the first time he had come. The fox took a look at them, they all seemed like they didn't know how they had ended up here. The ambient chattering wasn't loud, the mood was calm. He made his way to the bar and the rat greeted him with a smile as he was serving another customer.

"Hey Frank, I knew you'd come tonight. Can I serve you something ?"

The fox had already the cat piss that was called beer in this establishment so he chose to go for something less risky and more heavy.

"Do you have any good vodka ?"

The rat's smile grew wider. "Do I have any good vodka ? Oh son, I think I do." He filled a shooter with a labelless bottle he had taken from under the bar. "Be careful, this will turn your breath to fire."

Nick emptyed the glass. It was good vodka alright. It had a grassy flavor and like all good vodkas, the burning sensation came from the stomach instead of the throat. That was the stuff of good evenings and awful mornings.

The already dimlitten bar slowly fell into darkness, a spotlight turned toward the little stage was the only ray of light. As a fox, Nick could see in the dark, but with the sudden change, his eyes would need a bit of time to adapt.

"And you're right on time." Whispered the rat as he gave the fox a second drink.

Nick heard the silk-like voice before seeing who was emitting it.

"When marimba rhythms start to play,  
Dance with me, make me sway.  
Like a lazy ocean hugs the shore,  
Hold me close, sway me more."

The silhouette of a vixen appeared, slowly ondulating in the spotlight. Nick had stopped his paw holding his glass mid-way to his mouth.

"Like a flower bending in the breeze,  
Bend with me, sway with ease.  
When we dance, you have a way with me;  
Stay with me, sway with me."

She was wearing a slightly dark red dress, highlighting both her lean figure and her deep red fur. Nick, with a grin emptyed his glass. He had finally recognized the song.

"Other dancers may be on the floor,  
But my eyes will see only you.  
Only you have that magic technique :  
When we sway, I go weak."

Her gaze ran around the silent crowd, locking eyes with each mammal as she sang. Each one of them slightly froze and Nick could see the effect of her golden eyes on the patron. When came his turn, he was surprised to not be fazed and he gave her a slight nod.

"I can hear the sounds of violins  
Long before it begins.  
Make me thrill as only you know how:  
Sway me smooth, sway me now."

The fox closed his eyes, letting the music take him where it wanted. He found himself on a dimlitten dancefloor, slowly dancing with his mate. He could almost feel the brush of her fur, the breath of her mouth. He savoured the next two verses, lost in his fantasy, singing them in his head as they were the same as the previous ones.

"Other dancers may be on the floor,  
But my eyes will see only you.  
Only you have that magic technique:  
When we sway, I go weak."

"I can hear the sound of violins  
Long before it begins.  
Make me thrill as only you know how:  
Sway me smooth, sway me now.

Sway me sweet,  
Sway me now..."

Her voice became a whisper in the end of the last verse. Nick expected the patrons to clap, but they all simply nodded and raised their glass. The mammals respected the silence, something the fox had rarely seen. The vixen got down from the stage as the light and chatter came back, and approached the bar, sitting on a stool next to the grey fox.

"Joe, could you be a dear and give us two of whatever this handsome fox is having." It seemed the silk in her voice wasn't only reserved to the stage.  
Joe took out the vodka bottle again and Nick nodded.

She leaned against the bar and played with her glass, giving him a side glance. "You're new here."

"To this bar or to the city ?"

"Yes." the mischievous smile wasn't on her mouth, but clearly in her eyes.

 _Is she flirting with me ?_

Nick chuckled. "Scarlet wears scarlet. Makes you wonder what one should look at." he raised his glass and she did the same. They emptyed them.

"One is free to choose."

 _Okay, she clearly is._

It usually was not something he could tell. He decided to roll with it.

"Then I choose those amber eyes." he said locking his gaze into hers. He had always considered himself smooth when he was in the dating-pool, but this move was not. In fact, he was being so unsmooth that he thought that all he'd get would be a snort and an annoyed glare. He didn't really care, knowing that it would lead nowhere. Maybe it was why he had dared say that.

She gave crystalline laugh and turned her gaze back to the scene.

"You know my name, but I still don't know yours."

"The name's Frank."

"Nice to meet you Frank." He had extended his paw but she didn't seize it, instead she ran a claw along his palm, slowly getting back to the stage. This time, the light only faded a little, and the chatter didn't top completely around the back where Nick was.  
The fox absentedly turned back to the bar. The music was soothing, it was exactly what he had needed. He looked up and saw the rat wearing a strange smile while filling mugs for other patrons. The fox lifted a brow as a query.

"I had never seen Scarlet blush before."

"I guess it's usually the other way around." smiled the fox. "You were right, a voice to melt the ice-cap."

From the rat came a raspy chuckle. "I told you."

Nick felt a bit guilty. Not toward his bunny. It was only harmless flirting, and even if he doubted Judy would appreciate, he knew himself well enough to know there would be nothing more. He felt guilty because he didn't want to lead on and deceive the vixen. There was nothing he could do now, she was back on stage and seemed to be here to stay.

The fox had stayed around an hour but the singer hadn't come back to chat with him. She was still on stage, going from a ballad to another. He decided to call it a night. One more hour and he would be drunk, and that wasn't how he wanted this evening to end. He paid his bill, waved at the vixen and left the bar.

The walk to his flat in the cold evening air cleared his head. It took aways his stress and questions. The fox took in his surroundings as he walked the street. On the day, it was a block like any other. Maybe a bit old and poor, but not unwelcoming. It was another story at night. He could regularly see cars stop near groups of females, and once in a while, one of them got in. Hooded figures loomed in street corner, pouches and moneys going from one hand to another. The night activity was bigger than the day's and it didn't surprise the grey fox. Usually he would get strange looks, and sometime hear a snicker, his way of dressing was unusual in his old line of work, but with his looks, he was right at home

A fox kid, no more than sixteen addressed him as he passed near. "Hey, 'need something for the evening ?"

Nick stopped and turned to him. "What do you got ?"

The kid seemed twitchy, clearly he used his stuff as much as he selled it. He looked around suspiciously to see if anyone was watching or listening. But if anyone was, in his state the kid wouldn't have been able to tell.

"Bit of this, bit of that. Coke, heroïne, pot... and this new thing." He took out a capped vial.

Nick kept his eyes to shoot wide. The clear liquid had a slight purplish color. This had to be a coïncidence, there was no way in hell he could fall on this while walking on the street.

"The good stuff, but it's not cheap."

"What is it ?"

"Secret brew. You're interested ? Sends you through the roof, this thing."

"How much ?"

"New customer, so three hundreds. I'll throw in the siringe and tourniquet."

"Deal." Nick took out a bunch of banknotes and shoved them in the kid's paws. He put the tube and pack he was given and put them away in an inner pocket. Under a sudden inspiration the grey fox asked.

"Could you give me your phone number ? If this thing is good, I'll probably buy you more."

The young fox seemed taken aback, not believing his chance at a new regular. "Uh, of course !"

Nick took out his phone and added the number he was told.

"Nice doing business with you."

"Same here." answered Nick as he walked away. He didn't know the kid's name but it didn't matter. He had a phone number, and would recognize his face. The chances were slim but he'd give it to Judy to have it analysed. If this was any close to what the drugged mammals had in their vein, this was a lead, and maybe a good one.

That night, he didn't dream. No nightmare induced by the violence he had witnessed. He woke up a couple of time but he easily slipped back into slumber. For the first time in almost two weeks, the song playing in his head in a loop he had a good night sleep.

* * *

 _Interlude._

 _The song was 'Sway' written By Anita Kelsey, but I prefer Jennifer Connelly's interpretation in Dark City (excellent movie too)._

 _I was going to stop that chapter here, but I thought it would be waaaaay too short._

 _End of the interlude._

* * *

 _Last week of January 2019  
_

The week had gone by uneventful. Judy was still waiting for the graphologic analyse on the schedules and the grizzli's awakening. After the press conference, only a handful of journalist were waiting in front of her building and they number had thinned every day. They hadn't found any other lead beside what they had, now all that remained to do was wait.

She couldn't accompany her partners on patrol, and since it had become useless to go through the files again and again, it left her with a bit too much free time on her paws. She had talked to Clawhauser about it. The pudgy cat had asked and obtained to tweak his schedule a bit, and so he could spend a bit of time with her at the shooting range. Judy was already a good shot, but with the cat's advices, she could see her own progresses. She was far from his level though, as she saw every time they competed.

The handgun wasn't the only weapon the cat was profficient with. He really enjoyed scope-shooting with a preference for bolt-action rifles. It was a big contrast with his energetic personnality. He was perfectly able to take his time to do a perfect shot.

He had told he wanted to take her to an outdoor range. The target in the precinct weren't far enough to be fun to shoot at. And there were even moving targets at the place he went. Strangely, the cat didn't enjoy hunting. Sure, he loved a challenge and had tried a couple of time, but the idea of taking a life solely for sport was appalling to him.

* * *

 _Saturday the 2nd of February 2019_

After the evening at the bar, the rest of the week had been completely boring. He didn't want to get out though it would have been a good idea to do so. The TV was uninteresting as always, so all he had done was run around in circle in his flat, looking for a way to distract himself. Sadly, all the places he knew were linked to his real identity, so he couldn't really go there without a good reason.

Well, if he had nothing to do beside waiting, he should at least make it productive. The fox had bought a bunch of sport equipment. Tracksuit, dumbbells, sport mat... He'd make his body match the apperance his new looks gave him.

The fox had taken the ZUG, a taxi, he had made a large detour around downtown but he knew he hadn't been followed. It was simply his producedure to check. The last step was to enter a building by the back entrance and make his way up by stairs. The rendez-vous point was in a flat on the seventh floor.

The smell of his bunny was stronger and stronger as he went up the stairs.

Nick knocked on the door. It opened showing the silhouette of a large panda.

"Hi" he waved.

"Hello" she answered motionning him to get in. The fox obliged and quickly got into the living room where his bunny waited, sitting on her wheelchair.

The vulpine didn't take the time so say hello, he rushed to her and wrapped her in a loving embrace. "I see you've missed me, slick."

He was nuzzling her and taking in her scent, so he didn't answer. She buried her snout in the groove of his neck. "I missed you too."

Their mouths met in a passionate kiss, which would probably haven gone further if it had not been broken by the panda clearing her throat.

The fox sat next to his mate on the sofa, not letting go of her paw.

"So, we're here to debrief you on your week."

The fox wanted only one thing, to take his bunny on his lap and cuddle with her on the sofa. He had to fight every fiber of his being to not let go of a whine. Judy, having felt his distress, run her thumb on his palm. This small contact was enough to give him some determination.

The fox began talking, but there wasn't much to tell. He told about his first meeting with Vladimir Zimovitch, on how him and Jack seemed to know eachother. Blackfur wasn't surprised, it was obvious the bunny kept a lot of connexion with the mob. Then the fox told of his assignment to get the hyena out of mister Big's paws. Judy tensed up. Fru Fru being one of her firends, she sometimes forgot that her father was in fact the most powerful and feared mafia boss in the city.

He explained to them that since Frank needed allies, he had blown his cover to Big and that supposedly Jack didn't know of it, and that he'd prefer for it to stay that way. Blackfur wasn't happy to hear the news, but Judy was certain that the shrew wouldn't betray Nick.

The fox made a slight pause in his story as he steeled himself for what he was about to tell. How Vladimir had slit the hyenas throat and how Nick was certain he would've hade the time to react.

Judy had put her paws on her mouth and Nick, despite his calm and composed mask, didn't dare look at her in the eyes.

"I can't say I like how this all went down." Began Blackfur. "But that was the most clever thing to do. According to the reputation Jack build Frank, it's not something that would faze him. Considering all this, you took the right decision."

Nick gave a laugh of irony. "The guy was a complete asshole, that doesn't mean it was right for him to get killed."

"It's not what I said. You took the most prudent decision, and that was the right one. You needed to keep your cover intact in order to continue this operation. It's regrettable that this hyena died, but it's not the result of your decision. Vlad had decided he would die. And do you honestly think if you had stopped him then, he wouldn't have killed him later ?"

The fox shrugged. The only certainty was that he could have done something and he didn't. The hardest part was his bunny's silence. He had sweared an oath to protect the mammals of this city and he had betrayed it, how could his bunny let that slide.

"I feel like I should have done something." he still couldn't look his mate, but kept the mask on. "Judy, you said I could prevent collateral damage, avoid for innocent mammal to be harmed, and I-"

The doe sighed. "This wasn't collateral damage. You didn't cause it, you didn't kill this hyena. I hate the idea of any mammal being killed like that. He wasn't innocent, but it isn't wasn't justice either. You're not responsible for this mob boss action." she put a paw on his cheek and made him face her. "I won't say I'm happy with the outcome, but I don't blame you."

The fox shrugged. "No one's blaming me then, great. I felt a bit guilty about this, but if it's not my fault, then it's not."

Nor Judy nor Blackfur bought the sudden turnaround on the fox's thoughts on the situation. It was obvious he still felt guitly but was trying to brush it off, as always. But in the end, it was only one incident, and this was something he would get past on his own eventually, so there was no reason to linger on the matter.

"Anything else ?" asked the panda.

"Yes ! I almost forgot." Nick took out the vial. "A kid sold me this on the street. I didn't tell me what it was, some sort of new stuff. It would be a hell of a coincidence but I'd like to get it analysed."

The ursine took it between two fangs and stored it in a bag. "You have something else on him ?"

"We didn't exchange names but I have his phone number." He gave it too. "Something on your side that I could use ?"

Judy sighed "No, the investigation is at a dead end for now. I think at least on prison guard was an accomplice, but we're still looking into it."

"No one came to ID the shooters yet ?"

"There weren't even declared missing. We've divulged some of the photos but we don't want anyone to know the grizzly that attacked us survived. If he knows anything, we don't want to risk him being killed."

"Makes sense."

The panda stopped writing on her laptop and slid a bag to Nick. "Jack asked me to give you this." The fox opened it and found a pair of gloves, a bulletproof vest, a balaclava and a smartphone. There was also a note.

"When did he give you this ?" asked the bunny with a puzzled look.

"I found it on my desk after lunch two days ago. I didn't bring it up, since Wolford isn't up to speed about all this and I'd prefer for it to stay that way. He's not really good with secrets."

Judy nodded. Even though he had managed to not say anything about her Nick, she knew it was because it wasn't a topic that could usually be brought up.

Nick read the note and summarized it to the mammals present. "Okay, so I'm supposed to always wear this under my clothes when I get out." he said pointing to the vest. "I should were my gloves whenever I do dirty work. That's obvious. And the balaclava could be useful too. The smartphone comes with some ZIA software to communicate with him and he say he'll provide you all with the same devices, so we can communicate securedly and even do conf calls. And it has an untraceable internet connection. Sweet." The fox put everything back into the bag.

The panda stood up, stored her laptop back in its case and strapped it on her shoulder. "I'm sure both of you have a lot to talk about." she said with little grin. "I'll leave you to it. There is food in the fridge. I'll come back to get you tomorrow Judy."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

"Bye Wight."

The ursine left the flat, leaving them alone.


	16. If Cuteness Could Kill

_Thank you to my reader for reading, thank you to my reviewers for reviewing :)_

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** What can I say ? I love clichés... 'Have' to do anything ? One would want to inquire what kind of 'things' they could do together... _  
_Do you really believe Blackfur doesn't know what is about to happen ? She's far from stupid :)_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** Well, there is the bond. It doesn't completely stops a fox from cheating but it's a huge dampener._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 16 :** If Cuteness Could Kill_

 _Saturday the 2nd of February 2019_

"That was torture." The fox leaned give a peck on his bunny's cheek.

"What ?" She asked turning to him. The fox mouth captured her lips with his and for a few seconds she completely forgot what was happenning around them.

"Being near you and having to keep myself from touching you."

"Nothing's stopping you now."  
It was true, the fox got up and took his bunny in his arms bridal style. He made two paces before halting. "Is there a bedroom somewhere near ?"

"Room to the left." She said, pointing at a door. Having his paws taken, the bunny turned the handle and the vulpine laid her down on the bed. He put his vest and sweater on the back of a chair, put his contact lenses in their box, and nestled himself around her, like they had done dozens of time before. The bunny's broken leg was slightly in the way, but it didn't stop them to get in their usual cuddling position.

They didn't talk, simply enjoying eachother's presence. Both of them simply wanted to press against their loved one, taking in their presence. They dozed on and off during almost two hours, and when they finally completely woke up again, they felt they had gotten out of a strange dream. Judy had been afraid that his absence would dampen her feelings for him but they were more present than ever. She felt his snout in his neck, feeling his warmth and pleasant breath on her fur. She buried herself a bit more in the fox's chest and felt his paws wrapping themselves around her waist, fangs playfully scraping her fur. She could sense his grin when she shivered at the sensation.

"Agent Slick is getting quite undertaking."

"I don't know what you are talking about." came an obsolutely not innocent voice. The bunny reached with her paws over her head and caught nick's shirt at his shoulders. In a smooth motion, she pulled it and he let her take it off. She rolled and buried her face in his fur.

"'ah wuv dis" came her muffled voice.

The fox snickered. "What is my wuvely wabbit saying ?"

"I'm never getting my face off your chest." she had turned her face upward and all the fox could see was her amethyst eyes and her ears sticking out. Her face was hidden by his white fur were her paws were buried.

"You're so cute." he blurted. That was the first thing that had come to his mind, it was how she looked at that moment. He expected her to scold him or at least give him a glare. Instead she sinked bavk her face where it was as second ago, but not before he could catch a glimpse of her blush.

 _What ? What just happenned ?_

"That's not your usual reaction."

No response, only her face pressing harder, as if she was trying to disappear.

"Care to explain ?" he asked in a taunting tone.

She shook her head in negation, rubbing her face against him.

 _If cuteness could kill, I would die on the spot._

"You don't want to say what it is?"

New head shake.

"I could call you cute until you talked." he proposed mischievously.

"Don't call me cute." the meek voice was different from what she usually used against this kind of attack.

"How can I call you then ? Carrots ?"

A nod.

"Dumb bunny ?"

Slight hesitation followed by a nod.

"Fluff-butt ?"

Longer hesitation followed by a reluctant nod.

"Wuvely-cutesy wabbit ?"

Head shake accompanied with a punch to the ribs. "I'm not cute." The voice embarassed, but there was not the usual sternness that usually answered the c-word.

"I disagree. You're the most fluffy and cute bunny I've ever had the chance to lay my eyes upon."

"Stop calling me cute !" she was facing him again, the red was completely visible under her fur, and totally destroyed her try at an angry scowl.

"I will if you explain to me what's happening. To be honest I'm getting worried."

The doe sighed. There was no way around this, she'd have to explain this eventually.

"You know how we bunnies don't like being called cute by any mammals beside bunnies ?" The fox nodded "You know why ?" The fox had several ideas, but wasn't sure so he simply shook his head. "For most mammals, cute has a relation to something little, with big eyes, fluffy, a bit dumb and relatively defenseless. So bunnies fit right into the description for most of the bigger mammals. I'm speaking broadly, but you get the gist."

Nick nodded. This was what it meant to most mammal yes, but it wasn't always how he saw her when he used. He didn't know why but he thought cute was fitting. She was little, yes, she had big eyes too, but she was as far from defenseless than she was from being dumb.

"It's different for bunnies. It can have all sort of meaning depending on who says it. Parents call their kits cute because they can't see them any other way, probably the same way a mother sees their kits as beautiful in other species."

"My mom called me cute when I was little." smiled the fox.

"And I'm sure you were." She laughed "To an adult rabbit, calling another cute is a real praise, not something we throw around like other species do. For exemple a husband call his wife cute, and he better not do so with another female, except if it's someone from his family."

"Then I'm not wrong if I call you cu-"

She put a paw on his snout. "It has a different meaning. From an adult to another, it means beautiful, desirable, the thing you want to be close to because it's so near perfection, but also the thing you want to keep for yourself and protect. And we don't use it in public too much."

"So I'm using it right !" he gave her a smooch on the snout.

"Not always. And I'm not cute."

"By what you just said, you a-" She cut him.

"It also has a meaning toward physical appearance."

Nick stared at her. Judy was the last female he thought would have insecurity about her physical appearance. He raised a brow and the bunny answered the silent question.

"I wouldn't call myself cute. There are things that could be 'better'" she said by making a quote gesture with her fingers. "How do you think I got the nickname Jude the Dude ? I'm too lean, a bit too athletic, my face isn't very round, my fur is a bit dull. I know how it sounds like, but I perfectly like it the way it is, and not only because of its usefulness. I simply don't have the 'looks of perfection.' " There was no sadness in her voice, no resignation. It was simple statement.

"What you mean is : you are not cute by bunny standards."

The bunny chuckled. "Yeah, you could put it that way. Would I be by fox standards ?"

"Well, you don't have a long fluffy tail." he said tickling her round tail, almost making her jump. "You have long and round ears instead of small pointy ones." He nibbled them, sending shiver down her spine. "You don't have sharp claws." He clasped her paws into his. "You don't have predatory fangs." he gave her a deep and loving kiss. "So I'm sorry to announce that you are not cute by fox standards, whatever that could mean." He kissed her snout to punctuate his sentence making her giggle.

He took her face between his paws, locking his eyes into hers.

"But I can promise you that you are by mine."

Her face came back to its red blush in a matter of seconds.

 _If he keeps this up, I'm going to have a heart attack._

She had broken eye contact and was playing with the tip of her ears, as she always did when she was really flustered. Nick had let go of her face and had pulled her back against his chest.

"Nick ?"

"Yes ?"

"Could you say it ?"

"What ?"

Nick tried to look at her face but she obstinately hid into his fur. He suddenly understood.

"You're cute."

And he meant it. Not the way the other mammal would say it about a bunny. He said it like a mate. She pressed herself against him. He meant it and everything was so perfect.

"You're the cutest bunny I've ever met."

He brushed her ears back and felt her move. She was looking at him.

"Only the cutest bunny ?" She had tried to make a stern voice, but the most she could come with was meek and vaguely inquisitive.  
As she was facing him again, he took advantage of the occasion to place a big wet smooch on her nose, making her rub it several time.

 _So cute !_

"You're the cutest mammal I've ever met." he said with a wide grin.  
"This time you didn't mean it like cute, you meant it like _cute_."

Maybe an outside observer wouldn't have understood, but Nick did. He fell silent for a few seconds before asking. "You can tell ?"

"Yeah, I can. Cute is the bunny word. What I told was only a fraction of how subtly this word can be used."

"What do you mean ?"

"Say to a bunny you don't like they are cute and it's probably one of the meanest insult you can use."

"You know we've come from 'subtle social context' to 'utterly nonsensical' ?"

The doe chuckled "As I said, cute is the bunny word. Refrain from using it with bunnies if you don't know them well enough. And certainly do NOT use it against agent Savage."

The sly grin was in place "I wouldn't dream of it."

"For whatever reason, I'm not inclined to believe you."

"So do I have a free pass on calling you cute ?"

The doe reflected on it for a few seconds. "It depends on the context. A bunny would know when it's appropriate, and I'd find it unfair to forbid you to do it."

"So I'll have to figure out myself when I can, and when I can not do it. I suppose I should be careful on how I mean it too."

The bunny played with the fur his chest. "I'm okay with both ways since it's you. Anyone else I'd have to correct. But you know me well enough to not associate the negative significations to the word."

"You put a lot of faith in this sly fox."

"Yes I do."

They had fallen silent. The fox was pondering on what they had just talked about and something about it seemed a bit... Strange. Amiss.  
The fox scratched his head.

"Isn't the c-word also a matter of interpretation ?"

"You mean, another mammal would call us cute and we would wrongfully assume what they meant by it ?"

"Yeah."

"I suppose it can happen, but I think it's rare at best. I don't jump on the throat of mammals who do so, and most other rabbit don't either, but you can be sure everyone of us will feel stereotyped."

They had stopped cuddling and Nick was massaging the bunny's shoulders and back. She had gotten rid of her shirt and bra. Nick sensed she had been awfully stressed by her week, her back was a bundle of knots.

"I can't believe desk work is putting you in this state. You know the doctor said stress could impair with your recovery."

"Would be worse if I did nothing."

The fox rubbed a point in the bunny's back and she couldn't keep herself from moaning.

"You could take a subscription at a massage parlour."

No response, the bunny was so relaxed she had trouble understanding what the fox said. He wondered if she would start drooling.  
The vulpine was not the best massager, but the simple feeling of his paws in her back was enough to send her in state of bliss. He alternatively used his palms and the tips of his fingers, his claws slightly out.

Nick felft a reaction when he let his paws stray from her back to a place slightly lower. She didn't protest however. He continued his motions, going back and forth from her back to the lower part of her body, flicking playfully her tail.

She gave new moan that had nothing to do with a relaxed state. She had her face buried in a pillow but Nick could see a rowdy smile in the corner of her mouth. He continued playing with her tail and what was around it while nibbling her ears.  
New moan.

He turned her to make her face him and the kiss they shared was as much lust as it was love. He felt her hands fussing around his belt and his pants were loosened.

"Got your tail !" giggled the bunny.

Nick had frozen. "It's not my tail." He said, beginning to pant.

She slowly moved her paw. "Can I play with it anyway ?"

"Hhhgn." was the only answer she got when acting upon her query. The level of mischief in her eyes could finally match what his mate was capable of. She rolled and put him on his back, not even stopping her motion.

"I see the fierce predator has lost his words."

The fox, accustomed to take the lead didn't know what to do with his paws. His brain seemed to have totally stopped all coherent activity. The only thing he could do was keep himself from drooling. She carefully moved down, the gleam of mischief still in her gaze.

"Foxes aren't the only ones that can go undercover."

Nick loudly gulped "Are you sure... ?" he felt a bit embarassed, it wasn't something he expected her to do for him.

"Nick, we bunnies are accustomed to handle carrots."

New short freeze.

"You dumb bunOOoh gods." He wanted to say something, but there was absolutely no way to elegantly compliment this type of interaction. Soon he had lost the capacity to say anything and his paws were gripping the sheets, holding onto the last shreds of his sanity.

"You sh-should really s-stop now." He articulated, feeling the familiar warm sensation rise up.

She crawled back up with a wide grin of satisfaction. "How was that for going undercover ?".

"There is no classy response to that."

She god rid of her pants and pulled him into a burning kiss.

"Classy is not what I'm looking for right now."

Clothes, pillows and sheets were scattered around the room. The two lovers were nestled into a duvet on the floor, in a perfectly snuggled and interlocked position. Because of the fur color, no one would have been able to tell where the fox ended and where the bunny started. It was the middle of the night when hunger woke the fox. He liberated himself from his bunny and went to the kitchen to fix them something to eat.

There was nothing to cook as a dinner, only two instant meals, one for prey and another for predators. He put them in the microwave and as he turned it on he heard a voice coming from the other room.

"Nick ?"

He went back and he found his bunny sitting in the bundle of sheet waiting for him.

"Yes Carrots ?"

"Could you help me get up ? My chair and crutches are still in the living room."

He took her in his arms and she shivered because of the sudden cold. He took the duvet and wrapped it around them, walking back to the kitchen.

"The ZIA safehouses sure are great." He said, sitting her on the kitchen counter. "Food, warm bed, cute bunnies..."

"And sexy foxes. When we came here, I feared this would be some kind of abandonned squat."

There was a loud ding a Nick took out their meal, giving her a fork. They dug in.

"Since we're both here and no one is around to hear-"

"We're in a ZIA safehouse, you can be sure someone is listening, Carrots." smiled the fox.

She blushed at the idea of someone listening in on what they were doing earlier but quickly regained her composure. "No one that could reprimand me on what I do with the investigation intel. I have asked Finnick to look around on where the vans were bought."

"Good idea, if someone know how to find van, or van parts on the black-market it's Finnick."

"I hope he'll be okay. I don't want him to take risk."

Nick shrugged. "The little guy is paranoid. He'll have taken each and every possible precaution."

They had finished their meal and were back to cuddling on the bed. It was very reminiscent of their time in the hospital. Silence and playful nuzzle and nudges.

"Hey, Judy ?"

"Yes ?"

"When all this is over, the operation, the investigation, I'd like to take you on a date, a real date, if it's okay."

The bunny was puzzled. "Of course it's okay, why wouldn't it be okay ?"

"Well, we're in a different-species relationships, and pred-prey at that. We had agreed to keep this under wrap for now."

"I don't care what other mammals can think. Well no, that's not true, I do care. But on this, their opinion doesn't matter. If a few stuck-ups have anything to say about us, let them talk."

She had turned to him and he was wearing a big bright smile. "What ?"

"I get to take you on a date." His tail was wagging.

"Of course you do. Did you think we'd just go from declaration to marriage without a few dates ? Just, don't go overboard."

"You know me, overboard is not my style."

"Not your style at all, you wouldn't borrow a car from a crime-boss, explode all previous records on trafic regulation violation simply to declare. You never go overboard."

"Never."

* * *

 _Sunday the 3rd of February 2019_

He had left the safe-house first, leaving from the back entrance as the sun was rising. Judy had shed a tear when he had hugged her just before going, and he had struggled to not do the same. But he had to put the mask back on. He had to be stronger, tougher. All this was going to get worse before it got better. He thought back at the discussions they had the day prior and one of them gave him an idea.

He took out his phone and dialed. A few ring later, a deep voice answered.

"Hello, Finnick talking. Who's dis ?"

"It's me." He hoped the fennec fox would recognize his voice. "I go by Frank these days." He added.

There was some silence before the fennec's voice came back. "Frank, 'course. How ya doin' ?"

It wasn't the first time he had used a false name, so the fennec hadn't been completely taken aback.

"I'm doing fine Fin. How are you ? And how's your lady ?"

"I'm doin' gud. The lady's worried for 'er son, but she doin' okay too."

"Great. Say Fin, I need a favor."

"I knew it weren't no social call. Shoot."

"I need you to run a search on our old associates. Stinky, Red and Black."

Nick didn't want to say any name by phone and Finnick had picked up on it immediately. If it weren't for their physical differences, they sometimes acted like twins, almost capable of reading eachother's thoughts.

"You askin' me to unearth stuff 'dere buddy. Stinky's still more paranoid 'den me, I doubt I'll find her. Black is Black. No way I'm findin' her unless she wanna find me. Red, I could find."

"You're the best buddy. I owe you."

"You ain't owing me nothin' 'til I deliver sum'ting."

"Great. Gotta go, have a nice day."

"Ya too, take care."

Nick stored back the phone in his pocket. He felt a bit guilty only contacting his friend for work related matters but truth was, he shouldn't even have contact with him. He shrugged. This was a difficult situation, he needed all the help he could find, and Finnick's was precious.

* * *

 _And with this chapter, we've just gotten past the wordcount of Chapter 1. And there is still a loooooong way to go._


	17. I Want an Attorney

**_It seems the website didn't send any notification when chapter 16 came out. You may want to check if you have read it before proceeding with this chapter._**

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I find there is a lot to do with the culture of the different species. Trying to find a way to fit everything together is a challenge, but it's fun._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 17 :** I Want an Attorney_

 _Monday the 4th of February 2019_

Judy was in the cruiser. She tried to refrain herself from bouncing around. The last few days had been gloomy after the time she had spent with her fox. She thought seeing him would do her good. And it did. But it was even worse now, knowing that the next two weeks would be spent without him. Not even the shooting session with Clawhauser had been able pull her thoughts from her mate.

But it was different now. She was excited. The grizzly had woken up and according to the doctors he was fit enough for questionning. Wolford helped her out of the car and pushed to the hospital entry hall. They took the elevator to the secured level and quickly found the ursine's room. Blackfur knocked and opened the door for them.

The brown bear was resting on a sitting position, back against the wall. One of his paws was cuffed, in the other he was holding a glass. There was no one else in the room. As he saw the uniforms of the newcomers, he seemed to try to shrink in his bed, with a frighten expression.

When he had turned to them, Judy had taken a glance at his face and couldn't help but wince. Nick's bullets had left multiple gashes in his face, his right eye was probabl gone, there was a patch on it, and his ear had been shredded and stitched back.

Blackfur talked first. "Hello, we're officers of the ZPD. Your name is Herbert Growlsky, is that right ?"

"Yes."

"I'm Sergent Blackfur, here are Lieutenant Hopps and Wolford."

"Hi." he said shyly. "Miss Hopps, I's a big fan." he added with a little smile.

"Thanks." the bunny answered.

"Do you know why you're here ?"

"No, not really. I know I been shot, but I dunno when or why."

"What can you recall of friday the eighteenth of January ?"

The bear look like he was thinking really hard. "Not'ing. I can't recall a thing. I'm sorry."

"You were involved in a firefight. You've been shot multiple times. You don't remember ?"

"No. I don't even remember how I got 'ere, in dis room."

Blackfur scribbled something on her notepad. "What's your last memory before waking up here ?"

Once again, the bear made a strong effort to find something. "It's hazy. I wos wid' mah friends in 'dis squat south of downtown. 'Dere was a new guy, a wolf or a fox. He wos little so I think a fox. He made us try some 'free samples' or whatever." He made a pause, he looked like he was struggling to pull the memories from the depth of his mind. "It's so strange, I dunno why I came wid him afterwards, He just asked and we did. We were in sorta van and we arrived to 'dis storage building. 'Dere were people in strange yellow suits. 'Den I remember ah wos scared. Like real scared. An' angry. 'Dere was roaring inside mah 'head. But it wos all black, 'dere wosn't no sound, and no light. And I wos so scared." As he was talking, he had huddled up, wrapping his knees with his free arm and started shivering. Judy couldn't recognize the raging and drooling mammal that had shot at Nick and her.

Wolford came and patted his arm. "You're okay buddy. No one is going to hurt you now."  
The panda sighed. Seeing this mammal like this, she knew she would hate to have to tell him what he had done while he wasn't in control of his actions. The good news was that since he was under the influence of nighthowler, he would be judged innocent. A meager consolation, she didn't how she would react if she learnt she had hurt people.

"Mister Growlsky, I can tell you part of what happenned while you weren't conscious, but I doubt you will like what you will hear. It's better that you know, and maybe it could trigger some memory."

"If It can help me remember, I wanna know. No one here wan'ed to tell me what I did."

The panda was about to talk when she felt Judy tap on her arm. "Can I ?" The panda shrugged, it made no difference.

Judy approached the bed and started talking. "I can only tell what I saw."

"You wos 'dere ?"

"Yes. We had been called for a jewellery store robbery."

The bear's eyes shot open. "I-I robbed a jewellery ?"

"No, it simply was the reason we were there."

"Oh. Uh- great." He looked relieved.

"We were about to secure the street, when this back van pulled over. At first me and my partner thought the SWAT was already here but instead you and a sheep came out."

"Ah ? What happenned 'den ?" he asked eager to know more.

Judy took an inspiration, she was about to give a metaphorical punch in this bear's face and she didn't like it. Not at all.

"The van left. You were both holding assault-rifles and you shot at us. We now know that was because of the drugs in your system."

"I shot at you ?" He pointed at her leg. "It was me that did 'dis ?" he looked like he was about to crumble.

"It was not you, it was the drug. And I'm getting better."

He was staring blankly into space. "I shot Judy Hopps." The bunny thought he was about to cry but he didn't. He put his free paw to his forehead. "I don't remember. I ain't remembering nothing." He turned to her but couldn't directly look at her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's really not your fault."

"I took the drug. It's my fault."

Wolford chimed in. "I think you're the only one here that believe it's your fault. There was nighthowler in what they gave you. Would you have accepted to take it if you knew that ?"

"No ! Of course not ! But if I hadn't-"

The wolf shrugged. "Screw the 'ifs'. Maybe you shouldn't have taken the drug, but those guys shouldn't have given it to you, and certainly not given you a weapon and let you lose on the street. They're the guilty ones. You are a victim. Still feeling guilty ?"

"Yeah." answered the ursine in a sad tone.

The wolf took out a business card from his wallet. "Then do something about it." He gave him the card and Judy could take a glance at it. It was from a detox center in the canal district. She wondered if she always carried them with him.

"Okay. I'll try."

The wolf patted his arm again in an encouraging manner.

"If he was here, my partner would apologize to you." she said "I'm sure he's sorry for what he did to-" she pointed at his face. The bear slid a finger on his scars.

"If it kept from doin' more harm, he did good. I 'seen him on TV when he entered the police. He seems like a nice guy. Is he okay ?"  
She had to give him the official version, but she tweaked it a bit to spare him. "It wasn't from your bullets, but he fell into a coma. He's stable and the doctors are confident he'll pull through."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It could have been much worse. Don't worry."

Blackfur had put back her notepad in her bag and was about to stand up.

"Officer wait. Is 'dere gon' be a trial or something ? I don't have no lawyer and..."

"There won't be any trial. You were drugged, nighthowler was involved and no one was killed. You're still considered a suspect but I doubt you'll end up being anything more. I'll ask for the shackle to be removed."

"But I-"  
The panda took a few steps and approached him. "You feel guilty, you feel at fault. You think there are things you could and should have done to prevent it. Maybe there were, but who knows ? You think you did something wrong ? You think you owe a debt to society ?" She pointed to the card he was still holding. "Here's your punishment : get clean, find a job. Can you do that ?"

"I can- I can try."

"Great. Trying is the first step."

...

They were walking in the hallway. Wolford was pushing Judy's chair and Blackfur seemed lost in thoughts.

"So we didn't learn anything new." said the bunny.

"It wasn't a total wast of time. With a bit of luck he'll turn his life around. It's a bit sad it took something like this." Answered Wolford.

Blackfur chimed in. "But we did learn something. It seems the mammals that took him gave him a drug that made him highly responsive to suggestion, or really obedient before taking him to a hangar. It must be where they gave them the gun and the second drugs. They must have used something like scopolamine or GHB to make him comply. Since it seems he survived the second drug because of the smaller dosage he received, it could explain why he has minor recollection of the event. They must have given him a small dosage of it too."

"Makes sense. It's not much to go on, but it gives us a second lead." said the wolf. "We can investigate who buys and sells scopalamine."

They were now in the cruiser. Blackfur was driving and her partners were in the backseats.

"How come you have a detox center business card in your wallet ?" asked the bunny.

The wolf shrugged "I have a bunch of those. Along with AAs, group therapy, cancer support group, stuff like that. As a cop, I know I'll come across a lot of struggling mammals. I can't help everyone, but I like to be able to give them the possibility to help themselves."  
It was an idea the bunny wished he had had herself. "Do you have others you could give me ?"

"Of course. I have a stock in my desk drawer, help yourself to it."

* * *

 _Tuesday the 5th of February 2019_

Her leg ached, but according to the doctor it was normal. The ligament, muscles and tendons were forming on the artificial bone. He had feared they'd have to operate her again, sometimes things could develop in a strange way, but it was healing perfectly fine.

The constant throbb keeped her from concentrating however and she couldn't keep her mind focused on the files. She felt drained, the last week hadn't brought anything new to the investigation, and no amount of efforts seemed to do the trick.

The phone number Nick had gotten came from a disposable phone, so, no possible identification. And unless the fox actually used it to call a number under suveilance, there was no way to find its location.

It was at this moment of slight despair that the phone chose to rang. It was forensic, and more precisely the graphologic expert. The writing on the schedule matched Racton's writing, their prime suspect in who tampered with the video feeds in the prison.

In a few minutes she had gotten the autorisation to bring him in and question him. She was sad she couldn't go and fetch him herself, but she was sure Wolford and Blackfur would do a perfectly professional job. All she had to do know was wait for them to come back. She went to the cafeteria and prepared herself a decaf before going down to the interrogation room. She had it prepared and went to the room at the other side of the one-way mirror.

Despite the aching in her leg, she had dozed off and woke up only when she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Wolford was here with a wide smile giving her a handkerchief.

"You have a bit of drool."

She wiped it off as she straightened up in the chair. Blackfur was there too, sitting on a chair, scribbling on a notepad. On the other side of the glass was a raccoon

with an expression between pissed and anxious.

"Have you been here for long ?" asked Judy.

"Nah. We just put him in the room. We're letting him cook a bit."

"Did he give you trouble ?"

The wolf snickered. "He tried. When I knocked on his door, he pretended he wasn't dressed. He gave himself away when he began running. We were on the second floor so I knew he'd try to go through the emergency stairs."

Blackfur voice was geard. "I thought he would fall in my arms. I was waiting under them at the back of the building. But just as he saw me he immediately went back up and entered a window on the first floor."

"Yeah. I had to crash his door, and I saw him get inside from his window. I got back inside and rushed to the stairs. He could have outrunned me, but the door of the appartment he took was locked and he took just enough time for me to tackle him when he got out."

"Did he try to fight you ?"

"Yep. But it's not easy when one has both arms pinned on his back. I threatened to taze him and strangely he calmed down instantly."

"All we had to then was to shove him on the backseat and bring him here." added Blackfur.

"How long are we letting him 'cook' ?"

"Twenty minutes more. I like them well done." There it was, police dark humour.

"Who is conducting the interview ?"

"I am." said the panda. "Wolford doesn't like them."

"I can't hold my serious face for long. It works in a good cop/bad cop dynamic, but I think this time you'll want to be there too, Judy. And I think you've never participated in an interrogation. It will be a good experience."

It was true, the bunny had never interrogated a suspect, but she had read a lot on the matter, and thought she could handle it. Of course Blackfur would be there as a security net.

...

Blackfur opened the door to Judy and entered after her. The bunny rolled to face the raccoon on the other side of the table and the panda slid his file in front of her. He had recognized, obviously, his eyes had briefly shot wide before returning to his previous expression.

"You are Peter Racton, guard at Zootopia's prison is that correct ?" Judy asked. They had decided she would conduct the interview. It was a gamble, but they didn't have anything to go on anyway. This first interview was only to put a bit on pressure on the prison guard.

"Yeah."

"Do you know why you're here today ?"

"I suppose it's about Bellwether, but I don't see what it has to do with me."

"Don't you ?

The suspect stayed silent.

Judy smiled "Why did you try to run when my collegue came to get you."

Still no answer.

"You see, running is a clear sign of a guilty conscience, but it's not enough to get you convicted. Well not of tampering with the prison's video feed. To resisting arrest however... Of course a good attorney would attribute that to panic. It happens, mammals snap sometimes for very little reasons."

She scruted his face. He gave her nothing, but she hadn't placed her first punch yet.

"But this however, he would have a hard time justifying. An irregular modification on the prison schedule by your hand. An unofficial switch between you and Wilkinspots."

"I didn't do anything. You have nothing on me."

"Nothing ? Your writing was identified by our graphologists. It's not much, only one slip up, but can you guarantee it's the only one you made ?"

The raccoon was still silent, but seemed less sure of himself. Judy took a page in Nick's book and put on the most sly and predatory grin she had.

"Let's talk about what you risk by not talking. If the escapes are linked to the shooting in the city, you won't only be an accomplice to a kidnapping and what is probably the murder of a prisoner. I can promise you will be judged as an accessory to murder of multiple citizens and officers of the law. We're talking at least fifteen years, if not life." That was the stick, now came the carrots. "But we're willing to strike a deal. Talk now, and we can do somehing about having you only judged for kidnapping. Minimal charges."

She saw a slight shiver in his paws, and sweat rolling from his forhead.

"I've done nothing, you can't prove anything."

 _Alright, bluffing time._

"Yet. But I'm sure the writing on the schedule was not your only mistake, and I can assure your we will get anything there is to find. And do you think you are our only lead ? You would merely be a shortcut. We've found where the van have been bought, and with that, a good lead on the mammals that have taken the lamb. We will find the culprits, the heads of all this. And when we do, they will give us everyone that worked for them in order to reduce their sentences. You can be part of the names I'll get later, or you can be part of the mammals who give them to me now."

The raccoon was now wearing a startled expression. But his jaws were still clenched.

"Do you remember a few months back when I caught Lionheart closely followed by Bellwether and then brought them both to justice ?"  
He nodded.

"At the time I was inexperienced, had no support and was desperate."

She leaned toward the raccoon, saying her next sentence in the most threatening way she could.

"This time, I have experience, I have the whole ZPD behind me, and I'm pissed."

The tremble in paws had reached his jaw.

"You're going down Racton. It can be a soft landing today, or a big splat later." She turned and began rolling toward the door, not giving a second glance. Either he broke right now, or they'd have to come back with more elements.

Just as she was about to reach the door, a voice came behind her "All right, I'll talk. But I want an attorney."

...

"You know, just because Nick isn't there, doesn't mean you should try to match his level of slyness." joked Wolford as he was reviewing the answers the raccoon had given them.

As they had expected, he wasn't in on the workings of the operation. Only a pawn. He had been paid twenty-five thousand dollars to plug a special USB drive in the security computer during his whole shift. He had done so a first time three weeks prior to the kidnapping, and again two days before. It was probably how it had been hacked, but the hacker had to be extremely talented to do his job without triggering any alarms in the system and leave so few virtual prints.

The guy who had paid him to do the job was a red fox, but he was hiding under a hood. They had met at a bar in sahara square one night. The fox knew a lot about the raccoon's life. He knew about his mortgage, his job, his divorce. He had shown him five thousand dollars and that's what had convinced Racton to work for him. The raccoon was about to be evicted from his house and needed the money. The fox also asked him of everything that went on in the prison. How tight was security, how thorough were the search. He even had a plan of the premises and asked where were the security checkpoints.

Beside that, the raccoon had also seen the mammals that had taken Bellwether get in and out. He wanted to see them, simply to ensure the plan would go smoothly. If it went to shit, he needed to know on the spot and be able to leave the city immediately. He had parked himself in the prison's external parking lot. From his spot, he knew he could see the mammals get in and out of the van. There were three mammals disguised as officers. A lion, a brown wolf and a panther with a scar on his eye, the last one was a red fox in a prisoner jumpsuit, he supposed it could be the same that had proposed him the job, but he couldn't be sure.. He didn't know how it was possible, but the paper they presented to get in didn't get them arrested, and no one stopped them either when they got out with the prisonner they had just brought in. And for whatever reason, they were carrying a bag that wasn't even searched.

Judy had shaken her head. She knew that for a big city, Zootopia was very calm, and their prison was an exemple of peacefulness. But even for a low security prison, what happenned was unbelievable. She wrote a complete report to the chief, and knowing him, he'd have a long talk with the chief warden. She was happy to not be in his shoes.


	18. Tonight, He Was Frank

_You may want to look for 'the night has a thousand eyes Jennifer Connelly' on youtube. The bar ambiance has absolutely nothing in common with the one on the video though, it's just for the song. And if I get some of you to watch Dark City, that masterpiece of a movie, that'd be perfect :p_

 _Fluttershy99 : I tihnk I had precised pefore, in part 0, but in my version of the Zootopia universe, only mammals are sentient. Which means birds, fish and reptiles are considered food. And as such they can be hunted. Note : You won't see monkeys or apes in my universe, I just don't feel like they have anything to do in the Zootopia universe._

 _Foxlover91 : Maybe I'll have a chapter about that bear later on, but most probably not in Part 2._  
 _I'm trying to show that Judy and Nick have learnt a lot about eachother's skills. I hink I'm a bit too 'in your face' with it, but as long as it serves the story..._

 _Modified the last chapters dates, they weren't consistants._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 18** : Tonight, He Was Frank_

 _Tuesday the 12th of February 2019_

The fox had spent his first week end without his bunny two days ago. The last week and a half had been a nerve-wracking hell. Vlad was supposed to be his best way to get in contact with the fox-only gang, and he knew it could take a bit of time before he would get introduce. But working for the wolf was taking its toll on him.  
He was very discreet about his operations, and all Nick had done those past days was drive around, either his temporary boss, or some trucks. The attitude and actions of the mob boss was slowly driving him mad. Everything about him was false, pretense, lies. He had fabricated a face that he showed to his associates but Nick was a master at seeing through it. And what stood behind the mask was nauseating.

The wolf had no morality, no limits on what he was ready to do to gain power. A couple of time he had driven him to a hangar in the outskirt of the city, north of meadowland. He had stood, guarding a door while the wolf conducted his business and was certain he had heard screams of pain coming from the other side. The worse part was the satisfied smile the canid was wearing afterwards.

The fox needed an outlet, something, someplace where he could cool down for the evening. It was wednesday so he decided to go to the bar. Listening to Scarlet's songs would do him good. He simply would have to avoid getting drunk. Being undercover and under the influence would not be a good mix, he was certain of it.  
The bar was more empty than what he was used to. Scarlet had already begun singing but the fox didn't pay mind to it, he simply waved at her while going to sit on a stool. Less chatter, less smoke and less drunken mammals. Nick took a pint of beer, it still had an awful taste but he didn't feel like going for something stronger.

"You okay fox ?" Joe had put the mug on the bar and had his usual little smile.

"Why, of course. Why wouldn't I be ?"

The rat shrugged "You're starting to look like my other patrons. Doing a job you hate to keep on living a life you don't even like."

Nick chuckled "It's way too accurate. Any wise advice to give to a future drunkard ?"

"Yep, if you become one, do it here. Better I get your money than anyone else."

Nick's chuckle turned into a frank laugh. "Ha ! I'll think about it. No promise though."

The vixen had stopped singing and was moving toward the bar to get a drink when the door opened, showing two bighorn sheeps. The way they stood at the door and looked around before sitting at the bar, the fox knew these two were going to be trouble.

"You were right Don. It's a dive. Reeks of predators." said one of them.

Some of the less drunken patrons gave them a glance and came back to their drinks. They didn't want to get involved with them.

The vixen had sitted beside Nick and the rodent had given her a glass of whisky. She didn't talk though, she knew too well that it was the best way to draw attention to Nick and her.

"Beers, rodent, and make them quick." said one of the sheeps.

The rat shrugged off their attitude. He didn't want to antagonize them and dutyfully gave them their drinks. One of them took a sip and immediately spat it.

"I asked for beer, not catpiss !"

"I only serve this beer. You can order something else." he said calmly. The newcomer's agressive attitude obviously didn't get to him.

The vixen was going back to her stage, she had chosen not to pay those two any mind as she got past them. It wasn't the first time trouble seeking mammals had come to this bar and it certainly wasn't the last.

On his stool, Nick hoped his evening wouldn't be too troubled by the pair of assholes that had sitted near him. His hopes were dashed when he heard them talk again.

"Hey, at least the singer's good looking. Ron, you think she bounces as good as she sings ?"

"I only have twenties in my pocket and no change, so no way I'll check tonight."

They weren't speaking that loudly, but purposely high enough that everyone in the bar's relative silence could hear them. One of them gave a flick on the tip of Scarlet's tail, making the vixen twitch when she passed near him and it's what sent Nick over the edge.

Any normal evening, he would have kept his mouth shut. It wasn't really his business, he could simply pay and get out. He always avoided conflict. But this evening, he needed calm and relaxation, and those two morons were pissing all over it.

"I can ask your mom for change the next time I give her a ten."

Nick took a glance. It was obvious they had both understood the implications of his sentence. He heard the scraping of the stool as the two prey got off of them. It was far from his most clever move, but it felt good to insult the two sheeps. It helped him evacuate his frustration.

"What did you say, you little fuck ?"

Now obviously he would have to fight them, so he slid a pair of banknotes to the rat. "For the damage." he whispered. The rodent discreetly gave him something in turn. It was a knuckle-duster. The fox couldn't help himself from smiling. Joe took care of his patrons.

Nick wasn't the type to seek trouble, to seek fight deliberately. But tonight was the wrong night. Tonight he was pissed. And if evacuating his anger meant whooping the ass of two specist fuckers, he would gladly do so.

If Nick had to fight, he'd do it honorably, he'd face his oponnents, and he'd let them give the first punch.

But tonight, he was Frank. And Frank didn't fight fair.

He felt like going through water as he went down his stool in turn, his armed hand slightly hidden behind his back. In the distance, he could see and hear Scarlet had begun singing again.

"They say that you're a runaround lover  
Though you say it isn't so  
But if you put me down for another  
I'll know, believe me, I'll know"

 _Really Scarlet ? This song ?_

He could feel him and the two sheeps had the whole bar undivided attention.

The two sheeps looked like they were still waiting for his answer, arms crossed in a menacing manner. The fox was way smaller than them, they had nothing to fear. Only now that he was facing them, Nick could see their t-shirt slightly hidden by their jackets. A white and red logo he had seen a couple of times before. Prey supremacist. Typical.

He took a pause like he was about to repeat what he had just said, but instead he lunged forward an upward, sending his armed fist in the left one's lower jaw.

There was a statisfying crunch as the knuckle duster connected with his opponent's face. Nick was glad he had it, otherwise he would really have hurt his fist. The sheep stumbled backward and in a smooth motion, Nick used his chest has a launching pad toward the second opponent.

"'cause the night has a thousand eyes  
And a thousand eyes can't help but see if you are true to me  
So remember when you tell those little white lies  
That the night has a thousand eyes"

With how close he was, he couldn't land a good punch and the sheep was already anticipating his attack. Nick extended his arm and gripped one horn, throwing off the prey's balance. He used his momentum to swing sideways and land with his feets on the sheeps shoulder. His armed hand fell like hammer on the sheep's forehead. This time the damage was minimal, blood was drawn but moutain sheep's foreheads could be used to ram doors.

Nick lept back before being caught and landed on a table. The first sheep, Ron, Nick supposed, was slowly getting back up. He'd have to quickly dispatch Don before going back to him.

"You say that you're at home when you phone me  
And how much you really care  
Though you keep telling me that you're lonely  
I'll know if someone is there"

Don charged him, Nick was waiting for it and had already taken out his telescopic baton in his free hand. Just before he could be hit by the horns, he leapt to his side and landed a heavy blow on sheep's shoulder, who let escape a bleat of pain. He tried to punch the fox with his other hoof but Nick stopped it with a punch of his own, still armed with the knuckle. A loud crack was heard and Nick's arm flew backward because of the shock. His hand felt suddenly numb, but what had broken was his opponent's hoof. A second, and way louder bleat of pain was heard.

"One of these days you're gonna be cryin'  
'cause your game I'm gonna play  
And you'll find out without really tryin'  
Each time that my kisses stray"

"Don !" Ron's face from worry to anger as he turned to face Nick. "I'm going to skin your pelt off, asshole !"

He charged in turn, but Nick was too fast. He threw his baton in the sheep's leg which made him stumble forward. Nick let himself fall from the table where the prey crashed. He didn't even give the sheep a chance to react, he took one of the bar stool and swang it in his face.

"cause the night has a thousand eyes  
And a thousand eyes will see me too  
And no matter what I do  
I could never disguise all my little white lies  
'cause the night has a thousand eyes"

Ron was out cold. Only Don was still standing but he was way too preoccupied by his hoof to continue fighting. Nick breathed slowly. He needed to stop now, or he would do way worse than kick their ass.

"Don !" He called, in an aggressive tone. The sheep turned to him with fear and anger in his eyes.  
The fox showed fangs and growled, Don took a step back.

"Don't come near, you fucking monster."

"Then take your boyfriend and get the fuck out."

Nick got out of the way and showed him the door. Don used his more valid arm to lift his brother and limped out.

"So remember when you tell those little white lies  
That the night has a thousand eyes"

Nick took the stool he had used to bash the sheep's head. The seat was slightly bent but could still be salvaged. The table however was completely destroyed. The rat was already coming with a broom to clean the mess.

"Sorry about this Joe." Nick said, taking out the table board while the barman was carrying its broken feets.

"Don't worry about it son. Those two assholes deserved the whooping. I guess it was worth a table. And you had already paid for it."  
Nick shrugged. He had made a haul working for Vlad, he was happy that the money was put to use helping others.

He went back to his stool and ordered a whisky. Now he needed something stiff.

"Where did you learn to fight like that ?"

Nick smiled. He had used techniques Judy had teached him, she was an expert at fighting predators bigger than herself and was way limber than him. Being bigger and stronger, he had relied a bit more on brute force. He was certain his bunny would have been able to beat them while causing them and the bar less damage.

"A friend taught me."

"I wouldn't want to fight the guy."

"The gal."

"You're kidding."

Nick heard Scarlet's silk voice coming from his right. "Because females can't fight ?"

"You must admit, it's unusual." Answered the rat, apologetically.  
The vixen had a warm laugh "I think 'usual' tends to be more and more obsolete these days. We have a bunny ZPD officer, and now a fox knight defending a maiden's honor."

"Maiden ?" asked the rat with an ironical smile.

"Let a girl dream, Joe."

Nick smiled, listening to the discussion. Maybe this evening could be salvaged yet. The vixen sang another couple of song but the bar was too empty to be worth it and she left to change back into her city clothes. She approached and put a paw on Nick's shoulder.

"What do you say about getting out of here and finding a nicer place to share a drink or three."

The fox hesitated, it was obvious where she wanted this to go, but he didn't want to reject her in front of a part of her usual audience.

...

A couple of street from Joe's bar, they had found a nice diner and were sharing a late meal. The place, called JJ's diner was serving breakfast food and only breakfast food 24/7. But for whatever reason, they also served stiff drink with it. The mix was unusual, but Nick found it was perfect. He was enjoying a meal composed only of turkey bacon and eggs, while Scarlet was having a massive waffle.

It was the best meal Nick had gotten in a while.

"Why would anybody ever eat anything besides breakfast food?"

"Mammals are idiots, Frank."

Nick snickered and ate strip of bacon, perfect blend of crisp and grease.

"So do you come her often ?" He asked.

"Only once in a while. Part of my show is my appearance. I wouldn't get as much money if I looked like a potato."

"So you use your wonderful looks to extort those poor drunkard from their hard earned cash."

"Better that than to do what those two asshat suggested at the bar." She shrugged.

"I'm not criticizing. Mammals like us, we must use all our assets to get by."

She took another bite from her waffle with pensive expression.

"You know, you didn't have to fight those guys, they would have left eventually."

Nick glanced up from his plate. "Maybe I thought those two needed to be put back in their place."

"I hope you didn't do it for me." she smiled "The knight act is charming, but I prefer mammals with a bit more brains."

"I didn't do it for you, well not specifically. I did it because I'm tired of seeing good mammals bullyed by others." He ate another strip of bacon. "I mainly did it for myself. It shouldn't, but it felt good to put my fist in those assholes faces."

"I never imagined you were the violent type." He looked at her. She was giving him a chance to give more of an explaination.

"Let's just say my life has taken a bad spin lately, and that I'm having a bad time. Well, more like a bad month."

"Good mammals shouldn't have a bad time."

"Who says I'm good ? I just beat two mammals because I was feeling bad about my life." he shrugged.

She had a small smile. "Somehow, I don't think it makes you bad."

...

"So you have a brother ?" He asked.

"Yeah, little brother. From my mom's second marriage to a second asshat."

Nick lifted a brow. It was unusual enough for a fox to marry a second time, but to have kids with a second mate was even less usual.

"What does he do ?"

"Bit of this, bit of that. We were never close growing up. I was a bit of a bitch to him, he was a bit of jerk to me." She shrugged. "He fell in with a bad crowd. He calls me sometimes, but he never tells me where he is or what he does."

"But you're still talking right ? That's good." He studied her expression for a bit. "You're really worried for him."

"He's all the family I have left. My father's serving life, the gods know where, my mother OD'd with my step-dad when I was twenty and out of the house. After that, my brother went to foster-home to foster-home. He called me back like three years ago to ask how I was doing."

"Well he's surviving. That has to count for something."

"Surviving until his next dose." She sighed. "Enough about my brother, I want this evening to about something else than my broken family."

...

They were walking on the street. Nick wasn't too thrilled on the idea of letting a lady walk home alone at night so he had insisted to accompany her. His evening had been saved by their discussion and he was feeling a bit better.

"We're here." she said.

She had stopped in the middle of a circle of street light. Nick almost wanted to take a picture, the image was too perfect.

"Would you come up for a last drink ?" she said, approaching him.

 _Of course she asks me that. What was I thinking, insisting on accompanying her home ? Okay, diplomatic way out._

"I don't think it's such a good idea." He answered. His throat felt a bit dry.

She was really close now. "Are you sure ?"

"Yeah."

"Then, let me at least give you this." She approached her snout, but Nick had perfectly understood what was about to happen. Her lips only met air. She stepped back with a look of incomprehension.

"Scarlet, I'm sorry."

She looked away. "Sorry about what ?"

"I already have someone."

She sighed. "Of course you do." She bumped her forehead with her fist. "The best ones always do." She had an ironical laugh. "Oh gods, I'm so stupid." She took out a handerkerchief and dried the small teardrops that were forming. "I really thought you were flirting with me."

It was Nick's turn to feel embarassed. "I was a little, though I was being the complete opposite of smooth. I hoped you'd get annoyed eventually."

She snorted "I thought it was cute. A nice fox trying to seduce me clumsily."

Nick scratched his head "I fucked up didn't I ?"

"A bit. It's okay, I'm not upset with you." She made a pause. "Well, I am a bit, but that's my problem." She made a few steps toward her building's door before turning around. "So if you insisted to accompany me back, it was really because you were worried for me ?"

"Yeah. I didn't even think about how you could interpret it."

"You're really too nice. She's lucky to have you." She striked a pause, paw on her hips. "Is she a prettier vixen than me ?"

"She's not a prettier vixen, but she's... Cuter."

"Foxes going for cute instead of foxy. The world really is changing." she said in a pensive tone. She approached him again and kissed his cheek. "Well Frank, it's my loss. Thanks for the evening." He watched her go, her tail wagging in a sexy motion while she entered the building.

 _Judy, I really must be in love. The old me would've followed her in a hearbeat._


	19. Treading on Thin Ice

_**Robert Escher :** Self-control ? I'm sure two sheeps beg to differ on how much this fox can control himself. But yeah, wagging tails are supposed to act like magnets on lonely Foxes. Nick can control himself when it counts._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I have things in store down the road for almost all of my characters. I'm the generous type._

 _ **jamdea :** Oh yes, Judy and Scarlet will meet, you can be sure of that._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** Fights are hard to describe, and especially to choregraph without getting too confusing. Glad to see most of you liked it._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 19 :** Treading on Thin Ice_

 _Friday the 15th of February 2019_

They had taken the ZUG and were now at the steps of the building. It was around 5PM. They entered it, taking the elevator ride to the sixth floor, and ending their ascencion to the eighth by stairs. The vixen knocked on the door and large panda bear opened. For a second, she thought she had the wrong adress.

"You must be Vivienne and Finnick. Please come in."

Both foxes stepped inside and the panda hanged their coats. "My name is Wight Blackfur, please call me Wight."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." greeted Vivienne.

"Nica ta meetcha."

They made their way to the living room where Judy was comfortably sitted in an armchair, a recent addition to the furniture.

"Hey Judy, how are you ?" greeted Vivienne as she got in.

"I'm good. The leg's still aching but it's healing well."

The two foxes sat on the couch and the panda went to the kitchen preparing some tea and coffee.

"How's Nick ?" asked the vixen as soon as she was sitted.

"He's good, I think. He doesn't like the undercover work it seems, but he's doing okay. I can't really tell you more."

"I know, I know. It's for his security. I'm sure he has already done more risky things in his life-"

"Ya hav' no idea..." scoffed the fennec fox.

"-but I can't stop top from being worried for him." She sighed "He entered the police and he ends up again in the other side of the law because of it. Am I the only one to see the irony ?"

Blackfur came back with a plate covered in snacks, tea, coffe and juice. "You're not. I'm sure he's the first to see it."  
An awkward silence fell on the room. It was supposed to be a friendly visit, but without the presence of Nick, it seemed strange to all be reunited here. Judy didn't really know Vivienne, and though she was friend with Finnick, they weren't that close. Besides, the main topic they wanted to discuss was Nick, and it was something nor Judy, nor Blackfur could really do.

Finnick took out a folded paper from on of his back pockets and gave them to the doe. "I've made a little list on what you asked me."  
Judy ran her gaze along the paper. It was a list of car parts classed by what vehicle they corresponded to and the names of the mammals that had bought them and when.

"The names, you can be sure that most of them are false, but maybe it can help."  
"What is this about a list ?" asked Blackfur with an inquisitive tone.

Judy had completely forgotten the panda wasn't aware of what she had asked the fennec, and that she had given sensitive informations to a civilian. Well, if she was going to get scolded, at least it would be far fom the precinct.

"I asked Finnick to check around the black market for vans and van parts. Maybe we could cross-reference informations to learn some things. If the same guy has bought several parts for the corresponding van, it could be useful."

"Hm. Can I see this paper ?"

Judy gave her and the panda looked at it. "Could work. We have a database with reknown suspects and offenders, and their known aliases. If we run those names, I'm sure we could find something."

"Just don't pay no mind to the 'Foxtons'. It won't help ya." Finnick chimed in. "I included 'dem but it's one dat is used by foxes all 'round town to conduct all sorta illegal activities."

Judy took a look. There were several Foxtons. "On the contrary, I think we should pay especially attention to the Foxtons, they seem like they've been very active. Maybe an all-fox gang ? Nick is not going to like this."

"All-fox gangs ? Those disappeared years ago. No way foxes would be stupid enough to go back to the old ways." Declared Vivienne.

"How do you know about this ?" asked Judy.

"I'm a fox. My husband was a fox and most of our friends were foxes. The last all-fox gang disbanded more than twenty-five years ago. I think being systematcally targeted would do that to any gang. The reputation we have is not for nothing. Those goddam morons made life hard for all of us."

"Maybe the youngs are forming those gangs." said Blackfur "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

"And 'dose who learn from history are doomed ta watch others repeat it." Shrugged Finnick. "Everyone is screwed either way. Here's hopin' mammals got more understandin' in two decades."

Judy knew the cynical outlook on life Nick had when they met had to come from somewhere.

"Apart from 'dat, I got a call from Nick too." All mammal present gave him a surprised look.

"This dumb fox is going to blow his cover." Commented Judy.

"He didn't tell it was him, called himself Frank, but I recognized him He asked me to find his ol' contacts. I don't have a lot of luck yet, but I expected it."

Judy wondered why Nick didn't run this by agent Savage, but it was obvious he didn't want to draw attention on his contacts.

"Is it something we could help with ?" asked Judy.

"I highly doubt any of 'dem would appear on ya files, primarily because I don't know their real names. One of 'dem is the Raving One, the guy we used to run wid'."

"The pawmart con-guy ?"

" 'Dis one, yeah."

"And the others ?"

The fennec took a pensive look, before shaking his head. "Sorry, I ain't givin' you 'dis. I like you but you're still ZPD, and I can't say their activites are completely legal."

"You need to come to us if you have any information related to this investigation." Said Blackfur, in a perfectly professional tone.

"Don't worry big girl, if tha' wos the case, Judy'd be the first ta know."

The panda seemed satisfied with the answer. Finnick had a few similarities with Nick. He had way less self-doubt, and for a con-mammal, he was as honest.

The rest of their gathering had been more focused on how they were all doing aside from work. Blackfur and Judy didn't go out a lot after work, and if Judy tried to take her laptop home, the panda always insisted she relaxed after work. It was hard for the bunny, she was growing restless with how slow the investigation was going. Since Nick was usually her main reason to go out, she mainly stayed cloistered in the flat. As it happened, Blackfur was a massive bookworm. All she did beside her work was read everything that fell under her paw. She had recently bought a tablet and discovered the joys of ebooks. To Judy, it explained her encyclopedic knowledge on, well, everything. Anytime Wolford or her would bring up a topic she'd know nothing about, which was less and less usual, she would have learnt about it a week later.

On her side, Vivienne's life hadn't really changed. Finnick had finally moved in with her but tried to spend all his time outside, to not lose his touch as he said. They went out at least once a week, to catch a movie or visit a museum. The doe didn't think Finnick would be the type, but he actually rather enjoyed those educational outings. Maybe it was because he felt he had missed out on his education, but he gave an evasive answer to her inquiry. All and all, the two foxes enjoyed eachothers presence. They sometimes got on eachother's nerves, but it was fun to see them bicker like an old couple even if they had really been together for less than two months. Their main source of argument was Finnick insisting with using the money he had saved for paying half the rent and Vivienne refusing his money until he'd have a steady income. At least she let him pay for his share of groceries. Most of the time.

The pair of foxes left the appartment around 10PM. They had stayed longer than Judy had expected. Surprisingly she felt good. She thought seeing Nick's best friend and mother would be stressful since there was not much she could tell them, but they had been really undertanding.

Blackfur was cleaning the coffee table and Judy took a look at the paper Finnick had given her again. She didn't know what kind of info she could get from it. Maybe she could run the names by Nick or Jack, one of them could know of those alias.

* * *

 _Saturday the 16th of February 2019_

He had left his building with a bounce in his step. Today was a good day. Today he was seeing his psyche-eval, making his report, and more importantly, he was seeing his bunny. His so perfectly cute and clever and cuddly and cute bunny. It was a lot of c-words that wonderfully described her. He had to keep himself to stupidly grin while walking down the street to the taxi that waited for him. It would bring him to the complete opposite of his destination from where he would take the ZUG, a pair of buses just to see if he was followed, and then he'd arrive at his destination.

He was in the car, distracly browsing the internet with the relatively secure 5G connection of the phone given by Jack. Nothing new in the news, but he couldn't keep himself from thinking something would happen soon. He had enough experience with the city's underbellies to feel its pulse. Something was brewing. But he dismissed it. Right now, he had to exit the taxi and take the ZUG.

As usual at this hour, the ZUG was far from crowded, and maybe it was why he noticed a silhouette wearing a hood that he was sure he had seen earlier. Was he followed ? Easy to figure out.

 _He's not too big. Fox, Ocelot, Badger ?_

Whatever he was, his tail was tucked in his clothes to consal his identity.

He would feign missing the next stop and make the trip the other way for one station. If the guy was still behind him then, he'd be sure of himself.  
The ZUG stopped, he 'missed' his station, went out at the next. He was taking his trip the other way when he saw the guy again, trying, and failing at looking inconspicuous to Nick. The fox let nothing show, he casually exited the ZUG, and then ZUG station. His meeting was cancelled, and like all those meetings, they weren't rescheduled. With a calm demeanor, he took out his phone and texted 'Bouncer'.

"I'm being followed. Rendez-vous cancelled. Update in 30."

He knew that in the next five minutes, his phone would be geolocalized and if he didn't update on his situation, someone would be sent to his rescue. Probably.  
He slowly made his way down the street, using reflexions in glass from the shop windows and cars to keep track of his follower. The guys was twenty metters behind him, matching his pace. Nick faked being absorbed by his phone, as if he was completely oblivious to the potential threat.

 _Amateur._

Nick hadn't come here for no reason, he knew the back-alleys like the back of his paw. The one on his left had a couple of nooks and cranies, perfect for an escape. Or an ambush. He took the turn and sped up for a few seconds but slowed down again as he was almost at the next corner. Sure enough, he heard steps behind him. He turned and put his back against the wall, waiting for his follower. He took out his baton with his right hand. He'd need the left to grip the mammal, and worst case scenario, he could let go of his weapong and take out his gun.

He was ready to jump the guy. The mammal wasn't completely stupid, peeking at the corner before venturing forth, but Nick had seen it coming, and as soon as he had seen the first whisker, he had leapt and grabbed him by his collar, pulling him around the corner.  
He shoved him against the wall, paw on his throat, baton ready to hit. "Two choices. Tell me why you were following me or breath through a tube for the rest of your life."

The hood had fallen, revealing a redish-orange fox with blue eyes. "Wow wow, easy, I'm not looking for any trouble." He tried to take of Nick's paw but he tightened his grip, strangling him. Nick always thought being aggressive was hard, but strangely, it came naturally right now. Maybe it was because of the pair of awfully bad weeks he had spent, maybe it was because he was missing a meeting with his bunny which meant two more weeks to wait to see her agai, maybe it was because he suspected this guy was partially responsible for her injury. In any case, he already knew he would have no problem hurting the fox facing him.

"What are you looking for then. Talk."

The mammal pointed at his throat. "Could you ?" he said in a strangled voice. Nick loosened his paw, ever so slightly.

"Thanks. My name is Osman." he offered his paw but Nick didn't shake it, mainly because none of his hands were free. He simply rose a brow.

"I suppose you want to know why I was following you ?"

The casual demeanor slightly got to Nick's nerves, already pretty ruffled. Probably because he would have had the same in his interlocutor's shoes. "Alternatively I can break your face. Your call."

The mammal rose his paws "Okay, okay. I know your name is Frank, that you work with Vlad and this Savage guy. Funny name for a little rabbit. And my boss is taking an interest in you."

Nick didn't answer. He waited for more.

"We'd like to offer you some work. Nothing to risky. Moving stuff, handling some delicate substances, a bit of negociation, that kind of things."

 _Jackpot._

"What's your boss name ? And how come he took an interest in me ?"

Osman took a pensive expression. "Would you consider letting go of me first ? I'm not really comfortable."

Nick wasn't either, his aggressivity had significantly lowered as he had learned what the guy wanted, and he felt a bit bad in how he had handled all this. He could have been more diplomatic. And despite what had transpired with the two sheeps, he still didn't like using violence, especially against a fellow fox.  
Nick shifted his attitude to more casual and friendly. "So this boss name ?"

"I don't know it. Never saw him either, and I don't know anyone that did. He calls himself Lycus."

Nick kept himself for wincing. This was obviously a coincidence. "That's original."

"I think so too."

"And this interest in me ?"

"Well, he knows you're working with Vlad, and he's trying to recruit a couple of skilled mammals. He also knows that you perfectly handled a negotiation with mister Big's bears. That's some high profile shit." The guy was obviously waiting for some details but Nick crossed his arms, waiting for more.

"And we also learned how you handled a pair of asshole specists couple of days back. One against two, way bigger than you. We could use the muscle."  
It was the first time Nick was reffered to as muscle. It almost made him laugh. "News travel fast."

"That they do. We're always interested in mammals thant defend their own. Lycus isn't very fond of specists."

Nick gave a little smile of sympathy. The thing he was looking for had fallen in his lap it seemed. "He's helping the predator cause ?"

If he thinks that's what will win me over, that's even better.

"In his own way, yeah."

The grey fox took a pretense reflective expression. "So we're talking smuggling jobs, maybe a bit of muscle, and all for a boss that cares for his own ?"

"Pretty much. You interested ?"

"I could be." He put back his telescopic baton in his jacket. "I usually don't work for mammals I don't meet in person though."

The orange fox scratched his head. "I can understand that, but he has never revealed himself to anyone. I never saw him and I'm one of the first he recruited. I think.

You could meet the rest of the team though, I'm sure they won't mind."

"Well Osman, why not. When do you suppose we could do that ?"

"We could now, but you seemed like you were going somewhere."

Nick shrugged. "It wasn't important. Potential uninteresting job, that was most probably going nowhere." He took out his phone, careful to not show his screen, sending a second text to his bunny. "I'm doing fine. See you in two weeks."

The other fox had taken a few steps and had called someone. Nick could only get part of what was said.

"Potential new recruit... At corner of... In a bit." he came back to the grey fox. "All right, someone's coming to pick us up."

They had left the back alley and gone to a parking lot nearby. Nick feared he'd have to put a sack on his head, but they didn't seem to care if he knew where he was taken. For all he knew, it could be a trap. The driver was another fox named Sean. A dark grey furred fox, taller and fatter than Osman, but he didn't seem stronger. He gave a strange vibe, Nick couldn't define if it was coldness or shyness, but he knew he'd find out soon enough.

"I'll need you to give me your phone."

That was risky. There were sensible stuff on Nick's devices and he didn't want to risk his cover. He did the next big thing and gave the batteries.

"I hope this will be enough. I know yo don't trust me yet, but it's mutual." Nick smiled. Osman smiled back.

"That will do."

They had ridden south, to a place between Sahara Square and Savanna Central. The car pulled over near an old appartment building and they entered it, making their way to the highest floor with the elevator. Nick felt like he had entered a large penthouse. Most of the walls had been taken down. He could see a corner where guns were stored, they had a pair of computers in another corner, a TV and console but a big part of the place was taken by bunk beds and a sealed greenhouse like structure. A pair of fox-sized hazmat suits were hanged on a wall near it.

 _Jackpot !_

He was tempted to call for a SWAT team as soon as he got out, but without the head of the gang, it would all be for nothing.

He had also noticed three other foxes. One was relaxing on a bunkbed, but that had gotten up as soon as he had seen the newcomer. A white arctic female fox. She casually approached the group and offered her paw to Nick.

"Skye." She simply said.

"Frank."  
The two other fox approached. One of them was working on one of the computers, it was a small glass wearing Bat-eared fox. Large ears and dark fur on his eyes like a mask. The last one put down his controller. Nick recognized the young fox that had sold him the drug a few days prior. He hoped the kid wouldn't do the same. He was a sick looking light brown swift fox, his movements were twitchy. The pair slowly approached, greeting him with a wave.

"I'm Lucas." said the glass-wearing one.

"The name's Michael. People call me Mike."

Nick couldn't define if they were shy or wary. The kid hadn't recognized him, so he didn't care.  
Detailing every fox here, it hit him. Almost none of them were above twenty. The oldest had to be Skye, and Nick would be damned if she was over twenty-five.

 _Kits, all of them._

"I take it you're our new recruit." Stated Skye.

"I'm thinking about it."

She observed Nick. "I can't believe you're the guy that kicked those sheep's ass. You seem a bit scrawny to me."

"Not everymammal needs to be a brainless mountain of muscle to be efficient." shrugged the glass-eyed fox. Skye answered with a snort. "I don't know exactly what kind of operation you conduct, but you seem a bit short on staff." There had been eight vans, counting the one that had taken Bellwether. Five foxe was far from enough to drive all of them, and that wasn't counting the mammalpower they'd need to drug all the shooters and haul them in and out of the vehicles.  
"We're only one cell, there are-" Mike was shut down by Skye that had lightly smacked him on the back of the head. Nick would have made the same conclusion anyway.

"So, from what Osman told me and what I understand, you're working for a guy none of you have ever seen named Lycus, sympathetic to the predator cause, whatever this cause could be." The grey fox wanted to poke them a bit. Though Lycus was the boss, he needed to now who was the local leader.

"Whatever this cause could be ?" Asked Skye with a raised brow.

Nick put on his most sympathetic mask. He needed to drill for info, but also win them over. One against five, he knew it would be a challenge. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled at the idea of working with fellow foxes. It seems we all fell out of the game those last few years." He shrugged. "With all the distrust we get, it always seemed logical to me that we should stand together." He raised his paws, trying to make a show of good intentions. "But I've never been an activist. I'm used to fend for myself, and even though your whole operation seems more to me than a mere string of con, I don't see myself switching goals and lifestyle overnight." Skye was about to say something but Nick cut her, he had to deal a last blow to maximize the chances for them to trust him, even if only a bit. "I'm not refusing any offer, but I think the best course of action is for you to use me as a freelancer. I don't trust you yet, and I'm sure it's mutual. And if I find that Lycus' motives align with what I believe in, then we can begin to talk about a more permanent partnership."

He had placed himself as an asset. They needed him more than he needed them, but that didn't mean he didn't want to work for them. On the contrary.  
Skye had her arms crossed, giving the fox an inquisitive look. "And what do you believe in ?"

 _I knew you were the leader here Skye. And now you're mine._

"I believe we, the predators, and most particularly foxes, are treated like shit. Politics are too slow to assess the problem, if they only give a damn about it. I'd find it highly satisfying we could make them understand that we are through getting fucked with."

The white fox was now wearing a large smile. "I'd bid you welcome to the team, but as you said, we do not trust you yet. Do a couple of jobs for us, show that you can be loyal, and I guarantee you, you will make a difference."

Nick couldn't believe he was really thinking this, but beating up two mammals had been his best move yet. Often in his life, good actions had been repaid in dire consequences, it was the first time a bad move resulted in a positive outcome.

But he was now treading on thin ice, if those guys were really the ones that had organized the shooting and kidnapping, one wrong move and he was dead.


	20. Chills Down His Spine

_**Fluttershy99 :** It was cryptical, wasn't it ? Read Part 1 Chapter 10 again. And remember : the author lies._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** I wanted to include as much of the usual fanmade/cut mammals as I could. Skye, Jack Savage, Jessica, Swinton... I even found a place for Honey Badger in later chapters. And as for how things are going to evolve : My pile of shit is ready and I just turned on the fan.  
_

 _I thought some of you would get stuck on my little puzzle piece.  
For those who wonder where Nick could have heard the name 'Lycus' before, I suggest reading Part 1 Chapter 10 again. _  
_Of course, don't go and make quick assumptions, I wouldn't make suck a simplistic plot. Or would I ?_

 _Clue : The cat did it._

 _Maybe._

 _Maybe not._

 _Confused yet ?_

 _ **EDIT :** I messed up the date of Nick's part. It's been corrected._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 20 :** Chills Down His Spine_

 _Monday the 18th of February 2019_

She had to admit Finnick had done a great job finding all those informations. She didn't know how he got them, but that was not important. It was not possible to use any of it as proof, not with how she had obtained it, but if she could get enough information out of those, they could easily get a warrant, and make a raid on the place the info came from and get it the regular way.

The bunny rubbed her temples. This wasn't regular. It was the opposite of regular. She had been so caught up in the investigation, scrapping for every crumb of information that she had forgotten her principles along the way. It wasn't how officers should proceed, there was a reason why regulations existed.  
Then again, the biggest case she had ever closed until now, she had done without following any rules. Allying with a con-mammal, a crime-boss, threatening a weasel... Those weren't the means used by the ZPD.

Nick often said there were too many rules to follow, and sometimes the bunny wondered if some of them weren't made to impede on the police's efficiency. But all this was inconsequential.

She had a very long list of names and van parts to cross-reference, and though it would be a tedious and boring task, she had to do it. The sooner the better.

She opened a spreadsheet and began her work. She would have to be methodical. The first thing to do was classify the info by car parts. That was easy. There had been almost a dozen of vans bought in the two week preceding the shootings and at least half of them had been bought by a 'Foxton'. Chances were, those were different foxes using this same alias, so not a lot to find here. Only it could help here eliminate the duplicate entries.

All that was left was four van and van parts, three of them corresponding to the one being used at the prison. Through cross-referencing, she saw a name that had bought several parts for the same brand in different places. It was the same name used for buying the van and parts for the one last van used for the shooting that had not been bought by a Foxton.

The puzzled fitted. Judy knew it could only be a coincidence, so she put the other names down just in case. But she felt it in her guts, it was this guy. All she had to do now was find a mammal named Leonard with no last name.  
Great. This was a little step. Way too little.

She let her face slump on her desk, ears spread on her keyboard.

"You alright Judy ?" came Wolford's voice, putting Judy's usual decaf next to her.

"I just spent the last four hours cross-referencing evidence and all I got was an alias with no link to anything. What you see now is me bouncing with joy." came her voice muffled by the desk.

It wasn't the only reason she wasn't feeling great. She hadn't been able to see her fox that last week end, and she'd need to wait another two weeks to have the opportunity again. Usually she'd head to the gym and spar her frustration away but in her state, she clearly couldn't.

The wolf looked at the screen and saw the highlighted name. "Yeah, it's not much to go on. Maybe we have some Leonard in the database, but without a full name..."

"Our only suspect gave us almost nothing, the breadcrumbs we find lead us nowhere, and even when we find a footprint, we end up in front of a wall. Last time I was on a big case, it was so much easier ! What am I doing wrong ?"

The wolf chuckled "Last time you were really lucky. All evidence almost fell on your lap. Trust me, this is a pace you'll have to get used to." The wolf took a few step to sit in front of his own computer.

Judy straightened up and sipped her decaf. "There must be something we can do." And there was. They had someone going on the inside. Nick's third text had said he thought he had found the mammals responsible at least for a part of the shootings. She sent him a text, only three words, but clear enough "Give me names."  
All she could do now was wait and hope he would unearth something. She felt powereless, she was a field bunny but she could do nothing in her state.

Wrong. There was something she could do. The CCTVs. Regulation had changed after Bellwether's case. It had come to the ZPD's attention that erasing the feeds every two weeks wasn't such a great idea. True, it helped save storage space, but as it happenned, a lot of what had transpired during those events could have been properly investigated if they could have seen older records. The span of the kidnappings had been several weeks, and some footage had been lost.

Now they were kept at least six months before being erased. Judy's head perked up and she checked the spreadsheet again. There were dates of sale for most of the sells. They could even be able to identify the 'Foxtons'. It also meant hours and hours of footage that they'd have to watch, but it was something at last.

"Blackfur, Wolford ? I think I have something."

Blackfur approached her desk. "Yes ? What is it ?"

Judy showed the lines on the spreadsheet. "I have dates for the sale of van parts corresponding to the ones used in the attacks and the kidnapping. I have the place they were bought from. If we study the camera feeds from those days, we can find the appearance of our suspects."

"It will take days, if not weeks to study all these." Said the wolf. "Let's bring this to the chief, I'm sure he will lend us some officers to helps us. Even if you didn't obtain this list very legally, it's the best way we can get identification on the suspects. This is great !"

"It could also mean we could avoid to get a warrant to search the sellers' sale history for now. It will keep us from alerting that we're onto them. That's perfect. Good job Judy."

The bunny gratefully accepted the praise. At last her work was getting them somewhere. The next procedure would be even more slow and tedious than her cross-referencing work, but at least this time she was almost certain it would get them something solid.

Wolford knocked at the chief's office. He had printed the spreadsheet Judy had produced and hoped it would suffice to persuade the chief to lend them some mammalpower.

"Enter." Came the Buffalo's stern voice.

The wolf took a few steps inside and saluted the chief.

"At ease Lieutenant. What do you need ?"

"Judy has made a breakthrough in Bellwether's kidnapping and shooting case. She has possibly uncovered places where mammals have bought the vans and parts to repair them."

"And you need a warrant to dig deeper ?"

"We've had another idea. Since we doubt a warrant would get us other leads on who were those mammals, and the records we got contained probably only false names, we thought we could use the street camera footage as a mean of identification. We have the date of sale from the parts, so all we have to do is watch a compare between the dates which mammals shows up and leaves with van and van parts to identify them."

"So what you need is the access to the camera recorded feeds and mammalpower to watch them ?"

"Yeah, that's about right."

The cape buffalo scratched his chin. "And how, may I ask, did Judy get hold of those sales records if she didn't have a warrant ?"  
Though Judy shouldn't have shared info on the case with a civilian, the chief would know sooner or later. "She asked one of her contacts to dig around. She had to give him the van's models."

The buffalo sighed. "I'd scold her if this didn't get results. She really needs to be more prudent." He took out his phone and dialed. It rang a few times before a jovial voice answered.

"Hello chief, how are you doing ?"

"Hi Ben. I need you at the precinct in twenty, it's urgent."

 _Since when does the chief call Clawhauser by his first name ?_

"Is everything okay ?" His voice had shifted to concerned.

"Perfectly fine, but I need you here nonetheless."

"I'll be here soon." The pudgy cat hung up.

The chief then took the radio and called. "Patrol 1258, are you there ?"

"Yes chief !" Came Snarlov's voice. "What do you need ?"

"I need you to report to my office in twenty. Do you think you can manage ?"

"Of course sir. Anything else ?"

"No. Precinct One out."

He put back the radio in place at his belt. "I can't spare any other officers." He had chosen them because they were the only other officers who knew, beside himself and MacHorn, that Nick wasn't really in a coma. The chief suspected the path of those officers would cross Nick's, and he didn't want to risk an unprepared mammal recognizing the fox and blowing his cover. They didn't know his real mission, but his officers weren't morons, they had to have guessed he wasn't on vacation.

As the chief had asked, his officers arrived at his office a few minutes later. They were aligned in front of his desk while he was looking at the spreadsheet, trying to estimate how long those officers would stay on this assignment.

"At ease officers. Glad you could all make it in time. If I asked you to come, it's because I want all of you to work with officers Blackfur, Wolford and Hopps. They believe they have found a potential lead, and as much as I don't like using so many officers on a single case, I need you to work with them." The buffalo adjusted his glass on his nose to look at the paper. "What you'll have to do is simple. They believe they have found where the vans and their different parts have been bought. They need your help to study the camera recordings on the corresponding days to see if some of those mammals are the same and identify new suspects. Do you have any question ?"

"Yes, how long with this take ?" asked Snarlov. The white bear wasn't very fond of desk work.

"I'd say at the very least two weeks. Maybe less if you're really lucky."

The bear sighed.

"But chief, that means I won't be able to work at the front desk." Said Clawhauser.

"I know. I'll have another officer fill in for you." The chief brushed off the cheetah's worries. He knew the front desk was his life, but the other team needed as much help as he could give them. "Anything else ?" His officers shook their head. "Officer Clawhauser, I have already asked for a laptop to be delivered for you at Rhinowitz's and Snarlov's office, you three will work together. You'll all be given access to the camera records. All of you dismissed."

The mammals left the room and Snarlov gave a sympathetic pat on the cheetahs slumped shoulder. "I know front desk is your life, but I promise working with us is not that terrible." He joked. "Well Rhinowitz can be a bit rigid, but it's part of his charm."

It wasn't in the rinho's habit to react to his partner's joke, but this time he humoured him with a snort. As he had expected it gave the cheetah a little smile. Rhinowitz's didn't have an humorous bone in his body, but like everyone in the precinct, the cheetah's upbeat attitude got to him too. And like everyone, seeing him gloomy only made him want to cheer him up.

"You're right, I spend so much time at the front desk than even if I see mammals all day long, I don't really have any occasion to work in a team." Like with all his bouts of melancholy, the cheetah had bounced back instantly. It was true, he rarely worked with a team, and even if as afeline he was really independant, he deeply appreciated the company if others. "It could be fun" He added.

* * *

 _Third week of February 2019_

It was strange. Logically he should have hated them, but he couldn't. In all probabilities, they were partly responsible for the attacks in the city, responsible for people's deaths, responsible for his bunny's wound. But he couldn't hate them. They had gotten through hardship, almost the same he did. Rejection, hate, loss. None of them really talked about themselves since they were still wary of him but he had learnt to read the signs and they were there. He could see his old self in them way too easily. A step to the side at the wrong moment and he would be like them.

But beside the fact that he was a cop, there was another difference between them. They weren't alone. Not that Nick had completely been alone, after all Finnick had always been here for him. But this was different. Though Finnick had been a father figure, he never had a sense of belonging. Deep down, he had always considered them working together as temporary. They looked like they belonged, at least three of them. Skye, Osman and Lucas were the core of this cell. Each time he had the occasion he watched how they interacted, how they worked, that they had formed a deep bond.

Mike and Sean were a different story. The kid was trying to fit in, very hard, too hard, but he wasn't there yet. Osman and Lucas were accepting him but Nick could see Skye was suspicious, just enough that it showed. Nick felt sorry for the little guy. Sean was different. The tall chubby fox was mostly silent, he did what was asked of him, nothing less, nothing more, but never really took part in discussions. And Nick couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with him. Call it instinct, but there was something creepy and sleazy about him, even if his attitude was mostly passive.

* * *

 _Friday the 22nd of February 2019_

They had made a few runs together. Mostly 'innocent' stuff. Drug sales, moving suspicious crates. Nick had been a spotter for some kind of operation were they had taken some properties from a warehouse that obviously didn't belong to them. But for now, Nick couldn't find anything that could help him discover who this "Lycus" was. He didn't dare ask Finnick to sniff around. It seemed the only mammals that knew of this name were the members of this gang, and if the fennec was to talk to the wrong people, it could come back to blow Nick's cover, or worse, draw danger toward his friend.

Nick was at his appartment on the benchpress lifting dumbells when he heard his phone rang. The fox was already seeing the changes on his body. His lean figure was slowly becoming more bulky and it found fun how it changed his looks, helping him conceal his identity. He knew that as soon as he would get back to his police job, he would stop it and go back to his former slender self. But for now, the physical exercise was a good way to spend time between jobs.

"Hello ?" He answered.

"Frank ? We have a job. Meet us in the back-alley, in thirty minutes." It was Osman's voice, who quickly hung up. In the week they had worked together, he had found out of the foxes different roles. Osman was the messenger, Skye drew the plans and took the decisions, Lucas worked logistic, computer stuff and coordinated them. Mike and Sean were the added muscle when needed. Nick quickly went out and took the ZUG, and a few minutes later he was at their usual rendez-vous point.  
In the back alley was an old and worn sedan, big enough to contain mammals larger than a fox. The only things new were the smoked glasses, they got installed on the two of their 'work cars'.

"Hey Frank, on time as always." Said Osman. He was leaning against the car, a phone in his paw.

"Hey Osman. You know me, always predictable. One of my numerous endearing qualities. What do you need me for ?"

The orange fox pointed at the car with his thumb. "I need you to drive this thing, Sean will give you the details on the way."

As if it had been perfectly orchestrated, Sean got out of the building holding a sportsbag, made a discreet wave to the two other foxes and got in.

Nick had to admit that he wasn't really fond of the idea of being alone with Sean. Osman gave him the car keys and the fox got in. Though the car was big, it had been outfitted in a way that a small mammal like Nick could easily drive it. Nick started the car and pulled out.

"So Sean where are we going ?"

The fox didn't answer immediately, he simply strapped his phone with Zoogle Maps and their destination to the dashboard. He'd need to go through Downtown, the adress was south of Rainforest, at its edge.

"And what are we going to do there ?"

"You're driving. I'm working."

It was truely a challenge to get anything from the dark grey fox. He was always laconic. That didn't make him endearing but in this line of work it was a quality. The less you said, the less you had a chance to slip up.

It merely took them thirty minutes to get to their destination. Upon arrival, Sean changed the adress on this phone and showed it to Nick. "Next we're going here. Back in forty. Stay put."

Nick barely had the time to note the adress and set it on his own GPS. He looked at Sean crossing the street and entering an appartment building. He was tempted to follow and find out what was happenning inside, but nothing said he would find in which appartment the other fox had gone.

He would need to be patient, so instead he chose to take in his surroundings. It was a nice neighborhood, modern and clean buildings. Since it was working hours, only a few mammals were in the streets.

Only a few minutes after he had parked, another car stopped in front of the entrance of the building Sean had gotten in a few seconds ago. A black panther with a scar on his eye and a large lion with an unkept mane and carrying a sportbag. Nick took a bunch of photos with the smartphone Jack. Whatever was happenning he had suddenly a hunch it would be ugly, but he couldn't do anything about it. Just like the car had pulled over, it took off.

His hands were gripping the steering wheel. He was anxious. It had been more than thirty minutes since the fox had gotten in and he hadn't come back. Just as Nick was seriously wondering if he should go inside, a police car pulled over right in front of the building. That sucked, he needed to know what they were doing here.

"Yes N- Frank, what is it ?" came a worried voice.

"A police cruiser just pulled over near where I am" He gave her the adress. "Can you find out what they are doing here ?"

"Huh, sure give me a minute." She heard her tap on her keyboard. "Crud !"

"What ?"

"They're from rainforest, they came because of a noise complaint. Some mammal was screaming."

The two cops were checking the building numbers, making sure they didn't have the wrong adress. Nick thought fast. He could ask Judy to have them called back, but if she did and that mammals were in danger, it would fall on her. He'd have to find a solution on his own. "Okay, thanks for the info. Talk to you later." He hung up unceremoniously and dialed Sean, he had the numbers from all his foxes colleagues.

 _Pick up, pick up, pick up !_

"Yeah ?" Came the unemotional voice.

"Cops at the front door of the building. Whatever you're doing, drop it and get the fuck out !"

"Guys we need to get out. Wrap things up and let's go !"

Sean hung up and Nick started the car, chances were they'd have to do a quick escape. As soon as Sean would be in, he'd step on it. Another thing bothered him, the reason why the cops had shown up. Some civilians had heard screaming, what would that be about ? Had they hurt someone ? Had they killed someone ? Given what had happenned to Bellwether it was intirely possible.

 _Don't think about this right now. Won't help anything. Get them out of this, maintain your cover._

The three mammals got out of the building, as if nothing had happenned. The panther was slightly limping and rested a paw on the lion's. They had reached the car and had just opened the door when Nick saw the two cops exit the building.

"Hey, you three ! Wait a minute !"

The mammals casually tossed their bags into the car as if they had heard nothing and began entering the car.

"Police ! Stop right there !"

The doors slammed and the two cops ran to their car but Nick had already stepped on it. "Fasten your seatbelt gentlemammals, you're in for a bumpy ride."

He launched his car down the street, skidding at the two firsts corners, his tyres only missing the curb by an inch. He slow down to respect the road regulation. He wasn't sure the other cops would find them, but he didn't want another cop car to start chasing them because of his speeding.

"What are you waiting for Frank !" Said Sean nervously. "Go faster !" It was the most emotion he had ever shown.

"I know what I'm doing." Just as Nick had said those he saw the police car crossing the street they were on from right to left without stopping, through his rear mirror.

Chances they had seen them were minor but he turned right and then left again, just in case they'd back up.

"I thought this was going to be a bumpy ride." Said the panther with humour in their tone.

Despite her looks, it was a female. It could sometimes be hard to differenciate male from female when you weren't from the species, but in her case, any mammal would've had trouble. Before he could answer he sensed a faint smell. A smell of blood. He almost shivered but in all logic, it had to come from the panther, after all, she was limping.

"I thought we were in for a chase, but no. I hoped they didn't clearly see the car clearly, otherwise we could be found with the traffic cameras."

"Don't worry little fox, where we're going there aren't any."

They knew the city well, they must have spend a large amount of time studying the city layout to now where the cameras were.

"What are your names by the way ?"

"The less different cells know about the others, the better it is."

"Makes sense, sorry I asked."

He let a bit of time pass before asking Sean. "I thought our boss only employed foxes."

The only answer was a shrug. They gave him nothing, and it was highly frustrating. No matter, traffic cameras in front of the building had surely caught their faces, it would be enough for Judy to identify them.

They had passed rainforest and arrived to the meadowlands. It was the most rural place of Zootopia, and the street cameras where almost non-existent. He pulled over where Sean had asked, approximately two kilometters from the first bus stop.

Everymammal got out, Sean and the lion took out bottle of lighter fluid and sprayed it on the wheel and seats as well as door handles, emptying what remained randomly. Then They lit the car on fire. Nick could peek inside their half-opened bags, and what he saw churned his guts. Bloody metal instruments.  
He turned away and calmed his breath. They were occupied, if he wanted he could take out his gun and arrest them. It would be so easy. But the arms were of no use if he couldn't get the head.

Nick and Sean had separated from the panther and lion, and were now walking down a road, while the scenerey was less and less rural, more and more housing development.

"Care to share what you did at this building ?" Asked Nick in his most uninterested tone.

The chuckle that answered him sent chills down his spine. "You'll see tonight."

 _That can't be good._


	21. We Mean Business

_**Rys :** Thanks a lot for your compliment, my ego is now through the roof :)_

 _ **Foxlover91 :** POV shifts are fun, but it forces to be very attentive to details. You've not fallen very far on what happened at the place where Nick was. I did my best to make it a bit cliffhangery._

 _Fun fact : with this chapter, Part 2 is now longer than Part 0 and Part 1 added together. And the story is faaaaaar from over._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 21 :** We Mean Business_

 _Third week of February 2019_

After Nick's call, Judy had gotten back to her task. The analysis of the video recordings. At first, she thought this would be boring and long but she had been wrong. It was the most dull and tedious thing she ever had to go through. Even in fast-forward, it was too long and too slow.

Come the beginning of the next of the week, she was completely exhausted. Her eyes felt heavy and she could feel the circles under her eyes. Looking at a screen all day long wasn't her idea of a good day. She and Blackfur had made their way back to the flat. The large bear was cooking and Judy was setting the table. More precisely she was putting the plates and cuttlery on the coffee table in front of the TV.

* * *

 _Friday the 22nd of February 2019_

The panda had made pasta with a tomato sauce, a quick dinner since she too was tired and didn't want to spend to much time on it. As soon as she had sitten on the couch, she took the remote and put the TV on.

"You're really up for more screen watching after the week we just had ?" Asked Judy, half-joking.

"Not really, but I want to watch the news. And if you thought it was bad, remember that it was only the first week staring at screens. Given the amount of video feed we need to check, you better be sure next week won't be the end of it"

"Crud."

Not much was happening right now in comparison with the weeks prior. The shootings were barely mentionned again, Bellwether's kidnapping was vaguely speculated on but that was all. Until they went to their 'hottest topic', the death of two sheeps in their flat in rainforest disctrict. According to the newsmammals, they had been attackd at their home during the day by at least two unidentified mammals. The Rainforest's precinct hadn't given any more information.

"Judy, didn't Nick call you from Rainforest today about a pair of cops that could blow his cover while he was doing in a job in the vicinity ?" Asked Blackfur.

The newsmammal gave the adress where the event had transpired and the bunny froze.

"Judy ?"

 _Nick involved in a murder ? That's impossible, he wouldn't, he would never. It's a coincidence, it's a sad horrible coincidence._

"Judy ?" The panda tugged her arm.

"He was there, in the street where it happenned."

Blackfur didn't say anything, she kept staring at the screen.

* * *

Nick was sitting on the sofa with the five foxes in their flat, they were sharing dinner, pawsian food they had taken out from a place near. Even though they were criminals, he felt good with them. They were more alike than he thought at first.

"So Lucas, did you spend your day with the face stuck to your computer screen again ?" It was Osman's voice. He liked to tease everyone, but never in a vicious way.

"That's what I'm paid to do. It's called working, not something you would know anything about."

"And what did you 'work' on ?" Asked Osman again, making quotation marks with his fingers.

The little vulpine had a smile and turned on the TV. "Something with D, that should go live in five."

"Five what ?."

"Four."

Nick looked at the screen, the newsmammals were reporting about a murder.

"Three."

Two sheeps, in the same the street he had driven Sean.

"Two."

A cold sweat ran down his spine.

"One."

This was a nightmare.

"Boom."

And he couldn't wake up.

The newscast suddenly stopped. There was a beeping noise while the SMPTE color bars were shown for a few short seconds.

 _They hacked the newscast ? Did Lucas hack the newscast ?_

A black silhouette appeared in front of a dark background. It was a fox but it was impossible to discern any features, his face was completely hidden.

* * *

"Rackstein ! What is happening ?"

"I don't know sir ! My computer just fried, and someone is sending images and sound. I can't do anything right now."

The deer ran to another computer. Behind him, his yak boss was pulling off his hair, seeing on his screen what was broadcasted instead of the news.

"Who's doing that ? How can they do that ! Rackstein, do something !"

"It's not my field, I'll contact the IT !" He made a short pause, his phone had received a text. "They can't do anything either ! They've been locked out of their computers ! All they can do is pull the plug." He had begun typing an answer. The silhouette began talking.

"Good evening citizens of Zootopia. My name is Lycus." The voice was heavily modified. The the intonations were still there, but it was completely impossible to recognize.

"Don't pull the plug. Let it play. And record it ! " shouted the yak.

"I'll see what I can do." Answered the deer, rushing to another machine.

"Too long have we predators suffered in the prey's paws and hooves. We have been insulted, spat on, stomped on. Some mammals plotted against us, making us outlet of their hate. Pawns to their conspiracies. And all that was done, was to put the responsible in prison."

The silhouette approached the screen, but still couldn't be recognized.

"A nice little low security prison in the meadowlands. A calm place, almost a retirement home. As you know, she has been taken, and as you probably guessed, by us."

The image switched from the silhouette to another strapped to a chair. It was a lamb, in ragged clothes, covered in filth and blood. Her head was slumped on her chest, she was probably unconscious. The camera approached and a paw lifted her head, pulling her by the wool. She emitted a painful wail but stayed unconscious.

"Don't worry, she's not dead. We have things in store for the worst of the pred-haters." The image switched again to the dark silhouette. "The images that we are about to show you could hurt the most sensitive mammals among the audience, so I highly suggest to remove them. Before showing this to you, know this, if you are a tolerant mammal going about your business, you have nothing to fear. Act in a specist way toward predators, get in our way, this is what's awaiting you."

He disappeared again and the image showed the face of a fox covered by a balaclava. Some grey fur was showing through the eye holes. It looked like he was setting up the camera. Getting back, the audience could now see the entirety of the room. Two other mammals, large felines judging by their frame, were towering above two tied up, gagged and terrified sheeps. They were wearing blue latex gloves. One of them took a knife. The two sheeps tried to crawl away but they couldn't and their throat were slit. The two other predators took brushes and used the blood to write on the wall while the caprines were squirming on the floor, their terror-filled eyes pointed at the camera as life left them.

'Death to Pred-Haters' read the inscription.

The video had no sound, but the fox could be seen taking out his phone and answering before telling the other to pack up. The video cut again.

"Those two were prey-supremacist. They deserved what happened to them, like any other mammal that suffers our wrath. Do not try to find us, do not try to stop us."

The video feed cut, and the two news anchors were back on screen.

"This is fucking gold." Said the yak under his breath., as he saw the audience number peak.

* * *

Judy was still frozen when the pirate broadwast started, she glanced at Blackfur but her eyes were attracted back to the screen. The fox talked, Bellwether was shown, and she sighed. The lamb was still alive. Then it cut back to the silhouette and after that to another fox. With his eyes and colored fur, at first she thought the fox was Nick, but seeing him as he moved off the camera, she knew it wasn't him. Too tall and too fat. Then she saw the sheeps and she had a hard time believing what she was seeing. At her side, the panda had begun growling, baring her teeth.

The moment he had seen the two sheep slumped on the floor, Nick had recognized them. Don and Ron. He knew what was about to happen. Instead he turned his focus to the other foxes in the room. He needed to see who would react and in what way. Skye seemed like she wasn't even fazed, as the leader she knew what was about to happen. But there was something in the sitffness of her expression, the way her claws where out, the way she gritted her teeth. She wasn't enjoying what she was seeing, not even a bit. Sean was just behind her, and Nick could see him smile. Not a big bright smile, but sleazy and sadistic. What surprised Nick was Lucas' reaction, he thought the little fox knew what was about to be showed but it obviously that wasn't the case, he made a gasp when the throats were slit and put a paw on his mouth. He saw his paw tremble and his jaw clench. Osman looked half-disgusted half-satisfied. To Nick, it meant he held only contempt toward the prey-supremacist mammals, but wasn't a fan of watching them being killed. Michael, who was already pale, as always, ran to the toilet and a few seconds later a puking sound was heard.

Nick didn't know how to react or what to do. Once again he had the urge to take out his gun and arrest them but it wasn't the best course of action. Lycus had to go down. Nick would have to play the long game.

All this made him understand something else. Despite the fact that they looked close together, Skye didn't unecessarily share everything with them. It was a good thing to know, but it also meant that they weren't probably all as bad as the others. And in his mind, it complicated things.

Michael had come back, wiping his mouth. He looked like he was about to say something but Skye talked before he could. "Are you alright Mike ?"

"Yeah. I- I'm good." He glanced at the screen. "Was it really necessary ?"

"What do you think Mike ? Is ridding the city of two specist a bad thing ?"

Michael hesitated. On one hand, he didn't like the idea of killing, and neither being confronted to it, on the other he desperately wanted to belong. Nick could almost see the cogs moving in the kid's brain. "I'll have to get- get used to it."

Skye turned to Nick, and all attention shifted to him. He leaned back a bit, to make it look like he was perfectly comfortable.

"And you Frank ? What do you think about it ?"

The greyish fox shrug. "It's not the worst thing I've ever seen. Top five though. I simply hope we know what we're doing."

"We're showing that we mean business."

And just like that, Nick was reminded that though Skye was more confident and more intelligent, she was as much of a kid as the other mammals she leaded. "We just declared a war. What we did wasn't justice, it was retribution."

"Do you have a problem with that ?"

"Getting retribution ? No. Those two mammals were assholes, and I'd bet they had already made their share of evil. I simply wonder if it's a good idea to provoke the authorities like this."

Skye shrugged. "We're not afraid, and they had to know it. If they want to fuck with us now, it's on them."

Nick had left the building and was on his way home. Just as he had turned at the end of the street, Nick took out his phone. He dialed Judy. She picked up almost imediately.

"N- Frank ! What is happening ? Are you alright ? What-"

"Calm down, I'm alright. Is there someone with you ?"

"Blackfur is there."

"Great ! Put me on speakers."

The bunny did and Nick continued. "I drove the culprit's car. I know where one of them is, but if I give this info to you and Bogo gets them arrested, my cover's blown."

"Then don't. What can you tell us instead ?" Asked Blackfur.

"The fox's name is Sean, fat, dark grey, taller than me. The two other mammals, I don't know their names. There was a lion, no noticeable features, but the panther

had a scar on her eye."

Judy gasped. "One of our suspects, Racton, he described us the mammals that have taken Bellwether. One of them was a lion, and the other a panther with a scar. They could be the same. Were there a brown wolf with them ?"

"No, just those two and the fox. And I was driving the escape car. If you want to identify them, I'm pretty sure there were trafic cameras where I parked."

"Okay, that's good to know. Anything else ?"

"There are four other foxes in my terrorist cell." Nick had called it like that without thinking. He blinked and thought the name fitted. "Skye, Lucas, Osman and Michael. They didn't give me any last name and I didn't pry. See if you can dig anything up with that. I'll give you more detailed description when we'll see eachother in a week. I didn't meet this Lycus. I think that's all I have for you right now."

"I've noted everything, thanks Nick." Came the panda's voice. "On our side, we have a suspect named Peter Racton. I don't know if it can be useful to you. If you could get us pictures from everyone in your cell, it would be great, but don't take risks. It's more important that we find out who and where Lycus is."

Nick sighed. He wished he had more to give them, but he didn't. "I'll find him. I promise. Say hi to Wolford and Clawhauser for me."

"Wait !" Said Judy.

"I love you too Carrots."

The bunny chuckled, he had guessed what she wanted to say. "I love you, you silly fox."

"See you soon." And he hung up.

* * *

 _Last week of February 2019_

Snarlov and Rhinowitz had to be pulled from Judy's team. The chief couldn't afford to have two mammals behind the desk with the city's uproar. He knew that meant slowing down the search and identification of the mammals that had taken Bellwether, but they needed to make a show of force.

Most officers had seen their shift being stretched to twelve hours and off days were now only once a week. They were constantly patrolling the street. The chief knew there weren't many chances that it would deter the terrorists, but the citizens had to be appeased.

Following the death of the two sheeps, large protests had taken place and the chief's prophecy was coming to realisation. His city was in shambles. Wary mammals were at eachother's throats, the divide between prey and predators that had been slowly closing in the past few months was again like a gaping and festering wound. Riots ensued, shop were destroyed, despite the presence of the police forces in large number throughout the city.

The mayor had made a press conference, but it gave little to no result, it wasn't something that could be resolved by talking. The mood had dipped at the precinct, it was only couple of days and the officers already felt drained. Clawhauser, back at his front desk, couldn't even shine his usual smile. All they could hope now is that think would slowly settle down and that they would find the culprits.

* * *

 _Saturday the 2nd of March 2019_

It was the weekend at last and Nick had switched his route to the rendez-vous point. He had checked and double checked that he hadn't been followed. On the street, mammals were suspicious of him, it didn't help that he looked more and more like a thug. Despite working on his muscles, his appearance was completely unkept, aside from the hair dying. It didn't help either that his mood was tipping toward murderous. At least, no one approached him, his brooding kept those who could want to cross him at bay. And it was better that way, beacause right now, he had no idea how he would react toward them.

At last, he arrived at the building. As he entered it and began going up the stairs, he felt himself slow down. The last time, he hadn't been able to stop a hyena being murdered. This time, he had actively participated to the murder of a pair of sheep and help terrorists disturbing the peace of the city. He tried to convince himself that it was only him trying to work his way toward the organization head, but the sting of guilt pricked at the back of his minde.

Finally he was in front of the door. He knocked and a few second later it opened. Nick expected to see Blackfur, but it was Judy, standing, a paw resting on one of her crutches.

Without even thinking, he had swept her up, burying his nose in her neck.

After the week's event, Judy was more than happy to see her fox. Opening the door for him was a little thing, but it did a lot. She was about to say hello, but he had jumped at her and swept her up, giving her the most deep hug he had ever given.

"Ha ha, if I knew you'd hug me like this, I'd have asked to have the meeting space like this from the beginning." she joked.

She felt a slight tention before Nick chuckled, a bit too late. He backed up a bit still holding up Judy and slammed the door with a a hand he took the crutches, still holding his bunny against him and made his way toward the living room. He stopped just before entering to kiss her.

"I could walk you know." She said as they entered the room.

"Not good for you."

"The doctor said I could use the crutches a few hours a day. If I went easy."

"I've never seen yourself go easy."

He entered the living room and sat her on the couch placing himself at her side. Only now he realised Blackfur wasn't alone there, Savage was sitting in another armchair.

 _Great._

"Hi guys. Sorry for the wait."

"Hi Nick." Said the panda.

"Hello." Said the striped bunny.

"So, what do we start with ?" Asked Nick.

"Why don't you start by telling us about the last weeks."

Nick repressed a wince. He had four weeks worth of events to tell, and the first two had been pretty calm, until he had fought the two specist sheeps. The thing was, two weeks prior, he wouldn't even have brought it up, but it was directly linked to why had been able to infiltrate the terrorist cell, and he was part of the reason why they were killed.

And so he began talking. First, the bit about the uninteresting jobs with Vlad, and then how he had lost it at the bar. Nick left aside what had happened with Scarlet. It was of no consequence, and had nothing to do with the case. And if he could avoid an akward conversation with Judy later, it was for the best. He had pretty vivid memories of the fight, and had to keep himself for giving every little details. While he was talking, he paid attention to the reaction of his audience. Blackfur was relatively unfazed but had a frown when it came to the fight. Savage didn't seem to care. Judy looked at him with worry, and he was sure he also a hint of aversion. Or maybe his tired mind was playing tricks on him. He put it aside for now, he had the rest to tell.

Then he came to how he had been approached by Osman, how the fox had followed him and how he had handled it. He talked about the team he was now part of, the driving and crate carrying. And then he came to the part where he had to drive them to the sheeps'. And how he knew they were the same that he beat up. He didn't say it, but to him, they woudn't have died if not for him, if he didn't bring attention to them. But truth was, a deep and hidden part of him was satisfied the two mammals wouldn't be a nuisance anymore. They didn't deserve to die, but the world would be a better place without them.

He gave a detailed description of the panther and lion, and at Judy's reaction, it was obvious it completely fitted Racton's description of them.

He also talked about the reactions of every fox that were there while the broadcast played. He didn't know if it could be useful, but at this point, every detail could be important.

"Good job Wilde." Said agent Savage. "I didn't know when you'd snap, but seeing how it played out, it was a good thing. You had a lot of luck though, you need to be more careful. You did good with the foxes too, a lot of agents would've whipped out their gun and arrested them. You made the right decision."

Nick had made the same conclusion, and having the confirmed by another mammal, though by one he didn't like, relieved a bit of his tension. Around him, Judy and Blackfur were silent.

"For my part" continued the bunny. "I've dug a few leads. I can't approach this close to Lycus, but I know he works with a few other minor criminals. Mostly informants. I won't give a list right now, but if I find anything that could be useful to you, I'll make sure to bring you up to speed. Once we have the head, all we will have to do is scoop them out and put them behind bars. From what I could gather, big things will happen in the next few months. I don't know what yet, but I doubt avenging the predators is Lycus' endgame."

Judy sighed. "Are all the operations involving the ZIA that complex ?"

"Though complex, this one is pretty straightforward. Get the head, stop him. When you have to nudge a balance of power, it can be way more long and slow." Shrugged the agent.

Not wanting this to turn into a long conversation, though she was pretty certain it would be highly interesting, Blackfur chimed in. "On our end, we haven't finished analysing the street camera footage near the places where the vans were bought, and with what happened, our workforce has been cut in half. It will take longer than we had planned. There is another bad news. There indeed were street cameras where you parked, Nick, but absolutely no images of the culprits. , I'm pretty sure the fourty minutes you spent there were tampered with and replaced with a loop."

"What ? It's impossible."

"First the prison, then the TV channel and now this. They have a hacker, and he's very good." Declared Savage.

"Lucas. The bat-eared fox, he said it was him that had done the thing with the TV. Now, I'm pretty sur he is also responsible for the prison. I could try to bug his computer, but it's in a pretty open space. Anyone could see me put my paws on it."

"Bad idea then. But if you give me his adress, I could have their internet connection watched. Anything that goes through, my people would be able to see it. All we'd have to do is decrypt it."

Nick gave him the adress. "Whatever you do, do not alert them. I'm pretty sure they're starting to warm up to me."

The bunny agent hopped down from his armchair. "I'm a professional. Good bye everyone." He left and silence fell on the room.

The panda was looking at her notes, and Nick could see Judy was reflecting on something. She had a slight frow and her arms were crossed.

"So, psych-eval time ?" Asked Nick overly cheerily. "What should we talk about ?"

The panda glanced at him. She looked a bit worried. "Is there any particular topic you wish to discuss ?"

The fox shrugged. "Nope, I don't have anything. Maybe you should just ask me questions, doc."

Judy and Blackfur exchanged a glance, and the bunny hot down from the sofa. "I'll be in the bedroom."

"You don't need to go Carrots."

As an answer she gave him a look of disbelief and trudged to the door.

Nick was tapping on his thighs, waiting for Blackfur to talk but she simply installed herself more comfortably in her armchair and stared at him.

"I'm fine, really."

"You look fine, sure."

"Cause I am."

"So there is not anything weighing on your mind."

"Nope."

She scribbled something.

"We can pull you out if you need it."

"Why would I want that ?"

It was going nowhere. The panda needed a new angle. Good thing Judy gave her one.

"Do you know why Judy left the room ?"

"No idea, maybe she's a bit tired."

It was the panda's turn to give him a look of disbelief. "Maybe she thinks you have trouble opening up when she's here."

Nick didn't answer that. He had trouble opening up, period. And even if he had trouble showing his emotions, he mostly could tell her what he thought. So he simply shrugged.

"Do you think there isn't anything you'd like to get off your chest that she can't hear."

The thing about pandas, was that they always looked half-asleep, even when perfectly alert. At this moment, Nick could see that it wasn't always true. For instance, the panda's inquisitive stare made him thoroughly incomfortable.

"I hate it when you see through me."

"A lucky guess." She said, which wasn't entirely false. "I know the only thing you like less than opening up is opening up to someone you don't completely trust so I won't press you. But whatever this is, you need to get it off your chest." She closed her notepad. "It doesn't have to be to her."

Nick smiled. Who else he could tell it ? Fin ? Sure, the little vulpine would undestand, but he was more laid back than most mammal realised. They would always be there for eachother, but it wasn't the mammal he would go to, to vent. Their relationship was more... practical. They had eachother's back.

The panda had an ironical laugh.

"What's funny ?"

"Judy left so you could say what you needed without feeling judged. What's funny is you're one of the few mammals that would never confide into people removed from the problem. Like a psychologist. The thing is, I'm pretty sure you'll say more to her than to me. You don't want to talk about what's weighing on you to her, but you'd rather say it to her than to anyone else."

Nick laughed silently. "Yeah, that's funny. Not that I'm trying to be rude, but what's your purpose here in that case ? I mean, beside helping Judy."

"Though you don't talk, you communicate. I can read attitude and body language. Of course, I could be wrong but for now, you seem okay enough. Some mammals in your place wouldn't be doing that good."

"That's good to know."

The panda stood up. "That doesn't mean you're perfectly fine. You need to give yourself a break and not fall into the trap of taking in all the guilt on what your 'comrades' do. I don't have anything more to say. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to pick her up. Have a nice day."

"You too."

And with that, she left the flat.

It was obvious Nick had a lot on his mind. But she didn't want him to feel pressured to talk, and she understood that it could be difficult for him express himself in front of several mammals. That was the reason she had chosen to leave the room. She sat on the bed and let herself slump back with a sigh.

Saying she was worried was an understatement. She remembered the panda's words on how the undercover job could affect Nick. It could change him, even break him and all this scared her.

All she wanted now was to chase those thoughts and for her fox to quickly get to her. It was a bit selfish but she missed him and four weeks without seeing him were way to much.

When someone opened the door, she had dozed off. She felt something warm and fluffy silently wrapping itself around her. Something in her mind told her to open her eyes, but she didn't want to. The warmth around her chased away the dark thoughts and she wanted nothing more than to lose herself in it.

"Judy ?" Whispered a voice in her ear. "Is my little bunny here ?"

"Yeah. I'm here." She finally opened her eyes and saw Nick's face in front of hers.

"I thought you were sleeping."

"I thought too, I was having a strange dream with a perfect fox cuddling me."

He booped her nose. "Too bad you're stuck with me."

"I'll have to make due"

Both of them were hiding their thoughts with their humour. Not that they felt down, but none of them were really comfortable.

Judy knew that all her fox did weighed on him, and even though he had to participate in things that she found horrifying, she didn't hold any negative feeling toward him. It was all to help the city. What she feared was for him to spiral back to his old bad habits, and that it changed him enough that he couldn't come back. She was aware that she didn't know everything about his past, but she was fairly certain he had never participated in another mammal's death. She held him tighter and the fox curled his tail, completely covering her in a fox coccoon.

"Were you able to talk with Blackfur ?" came her muffled voice.

The fox hesitated for a split-second. "Yeah, I did."

 _Liar._

The thing was, he knew she didn't need for his problems to weigh on her. As an officer, she had to deal with the angry citizens, though indirectly. And he knew his bunny enough to get that the investigation wasn't going as fast as she'd like. And where a regular officer would blame the system and regulation for slowing them down, she would only blame herself. She had to push herself, always. She had this compulsion to rise up to any and every challenge, to prove her worth, because she was a bunny, and despite the fact that she had largely earned her place at the ZPD, there were still times when she wondered if she truly belonged here. "I only have a bit of thinking to do, don't worry about it."


	22. Like a Chopstick

_**Foxlover91 :** I don't believe in karma, I believe in coincidences :) _  
_And entropy._  
 _They technically declared war on pred-haters. If all preys feel targeted, I think it tells a lot about the Zootopian population._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** Nah, he is a grown fox, he can deal with it on his won. Who needs to open up when you can simply brood away your problems ?_

 _ **Robert Escher :** Well, those mammals didn't really get the opportunity to get educated... Sure, they were members of a radical group, but did they kill somammal before ? It's all a bit of a grey area. Let's just say Zootopia is a better place without them in it._  
 _And thanks a lot for your compliment._

 _Sometimes, I'm completely uninspired. That's when you get that kind of title._

 _I think we all deserved a bit of fluff, what do you think ?_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 22 :** Like a Chopstick_

 _Saturday the 2nd of March 2019_

"So, the leg's better ?" He asked, not so subtely changing topic.

"Yes. I had new x-rays, and the doctor was very satisfied. It seems everything that should reattach has done so."

"Great !"

"It's still very fragile, even if I can use the crutches, I should do so less than fifteen minutes at a time. If my healing continues to go that way, I will be able to switch from a cast to an articulated brace. I'll still have to wear a removable cast at night because of the unvolontary movements, but it means I'll be able to walk longer."  
Nick hugged her. She felt some of his tension being relieved. Obviously, her healing was one of the numerous things that weighed on his mind. According to the doctor, even if it would heal as good as one could hope, the leg would always ache a bit, and even if high physical activity would be perfectly safe and feasible, her leg could get sorer quicker. It also meant that in her later years, it would end up being less mobile. But right now she didn't care about that. She was healing and she would stay a cop.

"You're beefier than I remember"

The fox smiled. "I've been doing a bit of exercise. Lots of free time, no one to talk to. I understand the stereoptype on the muscular type. It's like meditation, no brain activity, only the exercise." He straightened up and got rid of his t-shirt. "Feast your eyes, I'll probably lose a bit of it when I'll stop being undercover."  
Though the fox had gained a bit of muscular mass at the academy and took care of himself for the job, his lean figure had turned slightly more athletic.

"Maybe you're more muscular than before, but like all foxes, you still look like a chopstick." Judy snickered. Nick joined her laugh. MacHorn leaded the sparring sessions, and it was how he called Judy, Clawfith and especially Nick when he got a bit too facetious. The fox went back to his bunny, and slowly crawled toward her. "Ever been hunted by a chopstick ?"

"I suddenly feel like a pawsian noodle box."

Nick approached more and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I swear to the gods, if you do a hot-sauce related joke..."

He suddenly pounced and landed on top of her, careful to not touch her leg, his paws caressing her.

"I think my order of bunny noodles has arrived."

"Do you always fondle your noodle boxes like this ? I think I'm getting jealous." She said in scolding tone. She would usually pull him by the collar to kiss him, but he was bare-chest, and she knew how much pulling on one mammal's fur could be painful. He moved his head up while his paws headed down and gave her the kiss she wanted.

"I'm only looking for the opening."

"That's my tail."

"Maybe if I tug on it..."

"…you'll get a bruised snout ?" She proposed with a large smile. His paw moved slightly and found itself on her rump. "You're taking an awfully long time to find an opening." She said, batting her eyes.

"I don't see you helping." His paw squeezed, and somehow it felt a bit different than usual. "Oh, found it !" His paws had made their way to the buttons of her shirt, taking them off, one after the other. As soon as her belly was exposed, his snout was on it, sniffling and nuzzling, fingers tickling her sides.

"Don't play with your food !" she protested in a fit of laughter, trying to get him off of her.

"Who's making bad jokes now..." He stopped talking a looked at her with a strange expression.

"What is it ?"

He put a finger on her belly. "Are you getting cuter ?" The mischievous smile was firmly in place.

Her face shot red at once, she tried to hide herself with her open shirt. "Nope. Nothing to see. No cute bunny here."

The fox had leaned back and put his paws on his thigh, looking at her with a curious look. She was buttoning her shirt back up.

"From what I had understood, you had said being a bit plumpy was considered beautiful by bunny standard."

Her paws slowed down a bit. "Yeah it is."

"I hope you're not afraid of how I see you. You're still beautiful to me."

She let go of the second last button. "It's silly." she shrugged.

"Usually, I'm the silly one."

Sitting on the bed like she was, her fur showing through the open shirt, he truely thought she was magnificent. But this compliment right now wasn't what she needed.

"Don't laugh alright ?"

"I'd never laugh at you." He smiled.

The look of annoyed disbelief she answered with was enough to make him understand it wasn't a good time for jokes. Maybe he'd dial it back a bit.

"I let myself go a little. With work, the leg, the absence of physical activity, I haven't changed my food habits. And so..." She opened her arms, as to show herself.

Truth was, she seemed a bit plumpier, but only slightly. He had only noticed because of the physical contact.

"I get that you don't like the fact that you have gained a bit of weight, but the way you talked about it last time, I didn't think you were so self-conscious." Nick was puzzled.

"It's not about my physical appearance. It's- How to say this... I don't let myself go. I just don't. I'm always focused, always working. I got where I am today, only because I worked hard. I had to be stronger, faster, more clever. Letting this happen, even though I like what I see in the mirror, it's just not me. "

The fox lifted a paw. "Wait, wait, wait. What you are saying is, you've built your body and your mind to be the most efficient at what you love doing, at the price of 'looking good' ?" He made a slight pause "I mean, you do look good. Maybe unconventionnaly to bunnies, but no mammal would say the opposite. And especially not me. But that means all you'd have to do to be more 'physically perfect' would be to let yourself go ?"

"Basically, yes."

"You know most mammals have the completely opposite problem ?"

"I told you it was silly."

Nick gave a chuckle. "I don't think it is. I thought you were embarassed of your appearance, but that's not it, isn't it ?"

She nodded.

"What is it then ?" He had an idea of the answer, but he thought formutaling it would do her good. In essence the complete opposite of his attitude.

"I've gained weight, and the thing is, when I look in a mirror, despite the cast, and the scar on my leg, it's the first time I see myself as really... Attractive as opposite to simply 'okay'. It was never something I was looking for, all the time I spent at the gym, studying, training to get into the police academy, and the into the ZPD, I didn't care." She shrugged. "Well I did, but it's the first time I let myself go enough to get to that point. I think all of my previous boyfriends said to me that if I dialed back on the physical training, I'd be really beautiful." She chuckled.

"Way to be a gentlemammal."

"Some of them were more subtle than others. So no, I'm not embarassed because of my appearance, I'm embarassed because it's the proof of me not being at one hundred percent in my job. The citizens of zootopia deserve better."

Silence had fallen on the room. Nick was staring at Judy who was playing with her thumbs.

"You dumb bunny." He said breaking the silence. "You really need to learn how to cut yourself some slack." She was about to protest but he cut her. "Let me summarized, alright ? You were valedictorian at the academy, you were the first bunny cop, you've solved one of the biggest of this city with no support of any sort, you're currently with what looks to be the second - or third depending on how we look at the nighthowler thing - biggest case, you've been injured in the line of duty, and you're going to pull through and get back to work against all odds. Tell me again how any mammal could have any doubt about your dedication ?"  
Judy shook her head. "It's not about the other mammals. It's about me."

"Did you think you were excluded from the 'any' ? So what if you are not one hundred percent ? You shouldn't even be working. You should be resting at home, I should be there with you, answering your every need, even though you'd hate it. You're dealing with a lot. So if you can't do it for yourself, please do it for me. Cut yourself some slack." He had approached and was now holding her paws. She went to him and snuggled in his arms, sitting back to him in his folded legs.

"Indulge yourself in a little self-appreciation. You could never really look like you wanted to, now it's the perfect occasion. We're both taking vacation away from our usual appearance. I'm greyer and beefier, you're cuter and chubbier. We'll get back to our usual selves together alright ?"

"You're okay with me having a bit more fluff ?"

"You're okay with me having a bit more muscle ?"

They shared a laugh, before kissing again. His paws on her tummy made a little squeeze. "Besides, I'd never complain about you being fluffy, fluff-butt."

"Hey !" She playfully protested, elbowing him gently. "Paws off, chopstick."

"Make me, noodle box."

She crawled out of his paws and put herself on her back. He advanced toward her while speaking like a documentary commentator. "The wild chopsticks is on the trail of the noodle box." She scrambled backward, in a pretense panick.

"Oh no, a chopstick, I'm doomed."

He leaned over her and opened the few buttons she had put back. "And the lid is open. Will the chopstick-"  
She catched his snout, hushing him. "I know where you're going with the chopstick/noodle box metaphore and you better stop now or you'll be playing alone with your own noodle."

"Duly noted." Came his muffled voice.

...

They were snuggled on the bed, a paw resting on her belly, giving playful squeezes once in a while. "I could get used to the extra fluff though."

"I could get used to the extra muscles. Let's not wish for things we can't have." She jokingly answered.

"Speaking of things we can't have, all this has put me on the mood for pawsian food. A big box of fried noodles with shrimps."

"Box." She snickered.

"What ?"

"I just thought of what could be called bunnies and foxes hybrids. Boxes."

Nick burst out into laughter "Not easy to give birth to a box."

"We bunnies have litters. It would be a whole lot of boxes."

"My flat would be too small to store all those boxes. How would that work, bunny at the top and fox at the bottom ?"

"Exactly, and the foxes at the top, bunnies at the bottom would be called funnies." It was Judy's turn to fall into a fit of laughter.

"Boxes and funnies. I can't stop from imagining a hopping cardboard box with bunny ears. Haha ow, my sides."

Their laughter died slowly. Nick stomach gurggled. With a smile he got out of bed and took his bunny with him to the kitchen.

He had put on his boxer and an apron, and was whipping something up. Judy was on the counter, wrapped in a sheet. They had wanted to order pawsian food but it was risky for any of them to show their faces as long as they were there. So pawsian fried noodles were off the table. So instead, the fox was improvising something with pasta, canned vegetables and oil. He didn't know how he would turn out but hoped for the best. Usually his improvisations turned out well, he wasn't a chef by any means, but he had a good nose and could tell what would do and what wouldn't. Soon, their meal was ready.

While they were eating, Judy asked. "About those boxes and funnies ?"

Nick lifted his eyes from his own plate. "What about them ?"

"Well, do you want some ?"

"Tough I'm not against the trying part, I doubt it will bear any form of result. You know, genetics. I know some species that are close could achieve something like that, I know a liger and a mule, but the-"

"Nick, I'm talking about kids."

The fox marked a pause. "We're not even two months into our relationship. I know bunnies have a tendency to rush, and I'm not the patient type either. But even then, don't you think it's a bit early to get into that territory ?"

"If the topic makes you incomfortable, we can just drop it." She said with a reassuring smile.

Nick took another bite. With what he had under his hand to cook, he was happy from the result. "I've simply never had to really ask myself the question. A year ago I was a con-mammal without any idea of what the future held. You would have asked me if I wanted kids a that time, the answer would've been no. Now, I don't know." He shrugged."Like I said, we're only two months into our relationship, most of which we've spent apart. By fox' standard, I've been completely irresponsible, mating with you this soon. So having kids... It's a huge responsibility, and not one I'd really like to think about right now."

"Alright." She resumed her eating under Nick's puzzled gaze.

"Alright ?"

"What ?"

"You drop this bombshell, and all I get for my approximate but long answer is an 'alright' ? Hello, I think my bunny's busted, can I have the assistance on the line ?"

"What would you have me say ?"

"Do you want kids ?"

She put her fork down. "Well, yes, I do want kids. Not as much as my parents though, especially not in the city. I'm from the first litter, I have thirteen brothers and sister in total, so you see how good we are at multiplying."

"Is it a little or a lot ?"

"It's... standard. Most bunny couples have between ten and twenty kids." Nick froze. "You can breathe, I do want kids, but way less than that."

"Okay, good."

"And as you said, we're really not there yet. Two months together it's a bit soon to think about it. I just wanted to now if you'd be okay, or at least not opposed to the idea."

They finished their plates in silence. Judy was expecting the answer she had gotten. Of course, two months in, she knew it was too soon to even think about having kids, but she had to know Nick's position on the matter if this was going to be a long lasting thing. Nick had been a bit flustered by the question. He was worried about their relationship and the fact that they mostly spent their time apart. For her to drop this like that, though it reassured him about her implication in their couple, it was a bit scary. But the fact that she wanted kids hadn't surprised him.

* * *

 _Sunday the 3rd of March 2019_

Like last time, he had left first, using the building's back door. They had spent most of the remaining time together mostly cuddling and sleeping. It felt like taking shelter in the eye of the storm, in the middle of the chaos. Parting had been difficult like last time, almost tearful. As he walked in the street toward the ZUG, he took in the morning fresh air. All he wanted now was push weight to exhaustion like a mindless drone.

Judy had clothed herself and was dosing out on the couch. She heard the door being unlocked and Blackfur entered the living room.

"Ready to go Judy ?"

The bunny sat herself on the wheelchair. Now that she could walk a bit, using it was even more of a chore, but she had to be patient.

"Yeah, let's go."

The appatment door slammed behind them, and soon they were in the elevator.

"How is Nick doing ?" Asked the bunny out of the blue.

"You know that technically I can't give you any details about that."

"I'm not asking for details. I think he's keeping too much inside. I and I'm pretty sure he didn't tell you anything, I simply want your impression."  
The bear hesitated but chose to give her the truth. "He's not doing perfect. But considering what he had to do and see until now, I'd say he's doing quite good. He's not slipping, I doubt he will really snap, but we should stay vigilant. I think four weeks without seeing you were a bit much. I wouldn't be surprise if you were an anchor in reality to him."

Judy's ears had slumped down. She knew wasn't doing okay, but she had been a bit too optimistic. "An anchor in reality ? What do you mean ?"

"He's getting more aggressive, bold. You know the expression 'fake it until you make it' ? He's the embodiment of it. I'm sure he picked up in cynicism with someone and used it as a shell until he truly became as cynical as he is. Now he's playing a hardass, but I don't know how long he will just be playing with all the pressure. I think you defuse it each time he sees you."

"Sweet cheese and crackers."

"As I said, he's doing good considering everything. You'll see eachother in two weeks and he'll be better from it. Don't worry too much alright ?" But Blackfur knew her words were lost on her. The bunny would worry. She was a big ball of nerves and frustration because of her injury, and the panda had just added a spoonful of problems to the mix. She could only hope that the bunny wouldn't do anything stupid in the weeks to come.

* * *

 _Friday the 8th of march 2019_

To say Bogo was feeling powerless was an understatement. He had just gone out from a group call with the chiefs of the other city precincts and all had come to the same conclusion. Though they had done everything to make a show of force and sent all their available officers in the street, nothing seemed to calm the population. Riots emerged everywhere, manifestation against predators, manifestation against pred-haters, manifestation to have an united front. Stores were destroyed, mammals were persecuted and though the presence of the police had to help a little, there were nothing they could really do beside waiting for it to die down.  
The chief took out his bottle of whisky and looked at it for a few seconds. It wasn't a good idea. Drinking alone after a too long reunion that had beared no solution was the worst idea right now. He had still a bit of work to do but was in no state to do it now. He needed to air his brain a bit so he stood up and went for a stroll in his precinct. It was something he did sometimes. It was his place, his home, more so than the flat he rented a few street from here. He still remembered vividly that voice from his past, saying the job took too much space in his life and he gave a grim chuckle.

Taking the Stroll was habit he had taken when he had become the Precinct One's chief. At the time, pred/preys relations were way worse, more rooted in the city's heart. The politics openly use the antagonism to gain mammal's approval. The chief liked how things had evolved, even though he had never seen his city in such a bad state. He felt he was a bit overdramatic. The months the city had spent under Bellwether's rule had technically been worse, but without reaching this level of chaos. Spcism used as a mean to control. Horrible thing.

The chief was now in the main hall, a few days from the front desk. He stopped silently near it and glanced at FitzAntlers who was working on some file while listening to music. Usually he would scold an officer in the frontdesk for having earbuds, but it was past 9PM and there wasn't anyone here to see her.  
"Hello chief." said the female officer with her usual warm but professional voice. "Can I help you ?"

"No, just taking a stroll, seeing how's the precinct doing. Keep up the good work, officer."

He directed himself to a hallway, whistling under his breath. The stroll really did him good. His head felt cleared now. He'd really have to start turning on the light in his office. The dark helped him focus, but the light was the best at relieving his stress. He didn't know why, and it really didn't make sense. Maybe a deep instinct still ingrained in the mammal's mind. The necessity to be wary of predators at night maybe. In any case, even dimly lighted, the hallway were still clearer than his office.  
There was a light behind one of the doors. Maybe an officer was finishing a late report. It happenned. Except it was Blackfur and Wolford's desk, and he knew for a fact that they had gone home, the panda with Judy in tow. The buffalo had taken his hooves to his belt, a force of habit when confronted to an odd situation. He dialed back on the paranoia a bit and didn't take out his tranq gun. It could very well be one of them that had gone back for whatever reason.

He opened the door without knocking, ready for anything. What he saw on the other side was a pudgy cat, slumped back on a chair, snorring while the screen in front of him played security camera footage.

The buffalo snorted. It was only Clawhauser. He could guess what had happenned, the cat had come to watch more camera footage in order to identify new suspects, and since FitzAntlers was occupying the computer he usually used at the front desk, there was no better place than here to do so.  
But the cat had no business being here. Not here in this office, the buffalo didn't really care that the feline used his colleagues computer to work, he had no business being here at the precinct at this hour. He silently approached the plumpy silhouette, which was nonsensical since he intended to wake him up, and gently poked his shoulder.

"Clawhauser. Wake up."

Beside a louder snorring, it resulated in no reaction.

"Clawhauser, wake up, it's time to go to bed."

The stereotype about cat instinct proved to be wrong, he clearly wasn't sleeping with an eye open. It almost made the buffalo snort again. Instead, he silently cleared his throat to regain composure.

Even though he hated to make the feline uncomfortable, it was the most sure way to wake him up without shaking him. It was well known that touching a cat's belly automatically triggered them into full defensive mode. And the chief was curious to see what full defensive mode would look like on Clawhauser. He had to be really tired too because it was one of his stupidest idea yet.

He poked the cat's belly. At the moment the chief did so, he understood how stupid it was to poke a sleeping cat. In his half-sleep, there was no way Clawhauser would refrain from taking out his claws. And so that was exactly what he did. In a split seconds, his claws were out and reaching for the poking object. The buffalo had no time to react as paws were wrapped around his muscular arm, the only thing he could do was to steel himself from the pain that was sure to ensue.  
Nothing. Well not nothing, the chief had been yanked down by a suprisingly strong strength. There was now a pudgy cat thoroughly wrapped around his arm, claws strapped to the sleeve of his uniform.

"Mmmgn... Don't play with the cat's belly, big guy. Gnnff... 'know what it does to me." Cooed the cat in a half-asleep voice as he slowly came to.  
The chief couldn't keep himself from asking, fighting the urge to laugh. "What does it do to you ?" Because of the position he was in, his face was only a few inches away from the cat's.

The feline slowly opened his eyes, answering in a half-asleep, half-naughty voice. "Do it again if you want to find ouaaAAAAH" As soon as he was out of slumber, Clawhauser had recognized who he was talking to. He had immediately let go of the arm and shot back. More precisely, he had shot sideways and was now falling from the chair, paws flailing in attempt to grab onto something. It found the reaching arm of the chief, latching onto it without thinking, all claws still out. He was yanked from his falling motion and sent forward. The chair made a weird spin and went to crash against a desk. The cat, still not completely awaken though way more than a few seconds ago had now his face flat on something very nice, warm, and firm. The chief abs. He slowly backed up, face now completely red, and let go of the arm he was still holding. Under the chief's eyes, it seemed like he was trying to make his face disappear in his fat neck. The buffalo felt a sting in his left forearm, obviously the feline officer hadn't controlled this claws and he was now bleeding. He discreetly hid his arm in his back before leaning toward his subordinate.

"Are you okay Ben ?"

"Y-yes." He was definitely avoiding the chief's gaze.

"Nothing broken ?"

The pudgy cat waved a paw. "No, dont worr- What ?" He had noticed the blood on it. "Chief, did I- ?"

"It's only a graze. You shouldn't be here this late. As I said before, you should take time to rest."

But the cat wasn't listening. "Show me."

"What ?"

"Your arm."

At the cat serious expression, the chief already knew he wouldn't let it go. Most predators, and Ben included, the chief supposed, were really serious about not using their claws against others. He took out his arm, there were four large bleeding gashes where the cat had gripped the chief on his forearm, the sleeve was completely torn. It was less painful than the seriousness of the injury let appear.

"Alright I'm going to the infirmary. You go home."

"But chief-"

The buffalo closed his eyes and slowly breathed. He wasn't mad at all. He had done something stupid, which resulted in a chain of event that got him hurt. He didn't want the cat to beat himself up about it. "Go home and take some rest, I'll be okay."

The cat didn't listen, he had already taken out his upper uniform and was using it to make a makeshift bandage.

"The doctor isn't here at this hour. I have the first aid formation. You can't do the stitches yourself."

The chief expected the cat to be completely disarmed before this situation, but he was acting rationaly, and even a tad assertively, which was completely out of character. And then the chief remembered the pudgy officer had followed the same training and formation than any other officer and that he was supposed to be able to handle any critical situations.

He followed the cat and they ended up in the basement, in the infirmary. The cat seemed to perfectly know this way around and in a few seconds, he had gathered everything he could need to tend to the buffalo's wound. It was how the cheetah had earned and kept his place at precinct one. Every skill he could learn that wasn't directly linked to his physical fitness, he made a point to learn.

The level of professionalism he was showing right now was impressive and would make pale any other officer. The chief didn't need to do anything. "This is going to sting a bit."

In a few seconds his wound had been cleaned and the cheetah had taken out an electric hair clipper. Shaving hair was standard procedure for stitches. He didn't even ask the chief and shaved in a few smooth motion.

Next he took out the thread and needle. "You may want to hold onto something. Exhale each time I prick. Ready ?" the chief nodded, it wasn't the first time he was stitched. Despite his slightly large paw, due to his pudgy constitution, the cat perfectly handled the needle. The chief himself didn't flinch, it wasn't something he was used to, but the claws must have severed a few sensitive nerves. A few minutes later, the chief was fully stitched and bandaged up. Only now did her notice that since the cat wasn't wearing his upper uniform, he had a pale pink Gazelle tank top.

"Alright, you're good to go. Try not to do heavy lifting with that arm if you want the stitches to hold. And maybe you should have it checked by a doctor later."  
The chief moved his hoof, opening and closing it a few times. He had to admit, the feline knew what he was doing. He handed his shirt to the cat. "I think I ruined your uniform."

Clawhauser took it and shrugged. He'd have to throw it away. "It's okay, I ruined yours. Sorry about your arm, sir."

"I should know better than poking a cat's belly." He said in a joking tone, taking his arm up. "Painful lesson."

"And sorry about the whole-" he made a few motion with his paws, miming the whole arm hugging and stumbling thing, and looked at the floor with an embarassed expression. The event was playing in a loop in his mind, and the longer it went, the redder his face went.

The buffalo cleared his throat, and if the feline didn't know better, he could have sworn the chief looked slightly embarassed too. "It's in the past. I did something stupid, there were consequences, none of which I'm blaming on you."

"But-"

The chief leaned forward and put his valid hoof on the cat's shoulder. "None. Now do me a favor, go home and get some sleep. Okay ?"

"Okay."

The cat put the bloodstained uniform on his shoulder. "Goodnight sir."

"Good night Ben." The feline left the room in his usual waddling step.

The buffalo sighed with a half-smile, looking at his bandaged forearm.

 _Well, that's been mind clearing alright. Let's get back to work._


	23. To Destroy This Image

_**Robert Escher :** I'm all about seasonning. It livens up the plate. For instance, I poured a bit of bitterness in the next chapter._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** Yeah, it's important to relieve tension. Strong emotions can be bad for the heart. Speaking of which..._

 _Remember when I gave you fluff ? It tasted sweet, didn't it ?_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 23 :** To Destroy This Image_

 _Sunday the 10th of march 2019_

It had been a week since his last meeting with Judy. He had latched onto the memory almost desperately, the simple idea of going back to work with the five foxes was enough to make him angry. Each time he saw one of them, all he wanted to do was slap them across the face and explain to them how moronic their actions were. But he couldn't, they didn't trust him enough yet for him to openly criticize them. It technically wasn't his job to try and change their mind, but as much as they would deserve their punishment, he thought he had to try an reform them. They were still young, way younger than him when he had changed his ways. Sure, what they had done was way worse, but young minds were easily influenced, prone to anger and to seek quick results.

He was lost in thoughts, pushing the weights when his phone rang. He didn't recognize the number, which made him wary.

"Yes ? Frank Greyfox speaking ?"

"Frank ? It's Scarlet, Joe gave me your number."

Of course, he had given it to the rat when he had asked for some work a few weeks earlier.

"Scarlet ? How are you ?"

"I'm... It's hard to explain. Could we meet ? It's kind of important."

She really sounded distressed. Immediately all alarms rang in Nick's mind. He had gotten up and was already changing clothes.

"Scarlet, Are you safe ?"

"What ? Yes, of course. It's just hard to talk about that on the phone. Do you remember where I live ?"

"I can be here in fifteen minutes."

"Great. It's the number 304, see you soon." And she hung up.

In only a few seconds, the fox had put on the bulletproof vest, put his gun in its holster, and all kinds of concealable weapons inside his clothes and gotten out. He quickly made his way toward the vixen's building, careful of his surroundings. The conversation had woken up the paranoid part of his brain and he had to check in case he was followed. But he wasn't.

As soon as he was in the building, his paw reached for his gun and stayed on its grip until he was facing the vixen's door. He knocked and soon after the door opened, showing Scarlet's face. "Hi !" She said a bit embarassed. Obviously there was no call for Nick's paranoia and he let go of his weapon.

"Hi."

She opened the door and he came in. The place was tiny, a single room, a bed, a mini-kitchen, but nicely kept. Without thinking, he let her take off his jacket, showing the gun holster. She stopped dead in her track.

"Are you a cop ?"

Nick lifted the most sarcastic brow he could muster. "You see a fox with a gun and the first thing you think is that he is a cop ?"

She stayed silent and put away the jacket on the bed.

"I'm a paranoid fox walking around with a loaded gun, and let's leave it at that, alright ?"

Somehow, it seemed to ease her up a bit. She sat on a chair, looking like she was searching for her words.

"What's happening Scarlet ?"

"I think I fucked up."

"What did you do ?"

She went back up and started pacing back and forth. "Remember the two mountain sheeps you beat up ?"

"Hard to forget, they were all over the news a few days ago. Still are in fact."

She made a slight pause before blurting. "I think they died because of me."

Nick barely contained a snort. "Yeah, I highly doubt that."

She turned to him. "Do you remember when I talked to you about my brother a few weeks ago ?"

"Yeah I do. What about him ?"

"He called me afew days after what happened at the bar. It seemed he already knew about it, which isn't that strange, word goes around in those parts. And I know he keeps tabs on me, even if it should be the other way around. Anyway, I talked to him about you, about the sheeps, and he asked me to describe them."  
Nick shrugged. "That's not much to go on. He could have found them any other way by asking around. What was your brother's name again ?" She hadn't told him before, but he bet it was Osman. The fox sure was young enough.

"His name is Michael. He was scrawny when he was younger, I don't know now, I have not seen him in a while."

Nick hid his surprised expression into a scoff. "So, you think those two sheeps died because you talked to your brother about them ?"

She nodded.

"With what kind of crowd do you think your brother fell in ? I mean, if you talking to him is linked to those two mammals' deaths, they clearly aren't drug dealers. Maybe you should go to the police."

Of course, Nick already knew most of what there was to know, but maybe the kid had given more informations, things that he hadn't discovered. And he wasn't about about to reveal that he was implicated in those sheeps deaths, or with her brother on any way.

"Frank, stop playing dumb, I know you work with them. Mike told me."

Now that sucked. Of course, the moment he had learnt her brother was working with Skye's group, he had assumed she could know. But 'could' and 'did' were two different things entirely.

And for how long did she knew that ? Since before or after she tried to make a move on him ?

But then, something else bothered him. He supposed he knew what she wanted of him and why she called him. It was obvious she trusted him enough to talk to him even though he was working with this kind of mammals. But if he made a show of how willing he was to help her with whatever she was about to ask, it could come back to the ears of the foxes and totally screw him over. Depending on what that 'thing' was, of course. And he couldn't have that. He had a job to do, and he couldn't afford to have this kind of liability either in his way or in his back.

She now knew what type of foxes he was working with, so he could use that. Fear could work as much as trust.

He put on his most blank and menacing mask.

"You know that technically, the first thing I should do now is take you at gunpoint and bring you to them ? Or kill you so you won't talk. It would be the safest course of action."

He made a step forward.

"It would also spare you the risk of being questionned on what you know of them. All in all, a good bargain for everyone involved."

Even though he could see she was scared, she didn't move an inch.

"You can't do that Frank. You won't hurt me."

She was either brave or stupid, not that it mattered at this point. He had to significantly push himself for what he did next. Of course, he could never kill her, let alone hurt her. But he had to scare her, either enough so she wouldn't talk about this, or enough so she would really say what she wanted. He swiftly put a paw to her throat and held her against the wall.

"Why wouldn't I ?"

"You're a good mammal !"

"Am I ? I beat up two mammals and for all you know, I participated in their deaths. You knew all this before I came here, you faked asking if I was a cop, you tested me to see if I knew your brother. You better tell me right now what you're after if you don't want to end up on the news like them tomorrow." He had growl that last part, squeezing her neck slighlty more. Perfect acting, he couldn't wait to get his Academy Award. Her paws had reached for his arm but she couldn't get him to let loose.

"I need your help !" Tears had started showing at the corner of her eyes.

He unsqueezed but still held her. "What for ?"

"Michael ! I need you to help Michael."

While he was getting the act rolling, his brain was still fired up analysing the position he was in. This sucked. This was beyond liability. She could denounce him to the police and they could arrest the whole cell because of it, blowing all the infiltrating he had done until now. He knew exactly what Savage would have done in his shoes, but the simple idea was nauseating.

"And why the fuck would I do that ?"

"He's the only family I have left. He's young and stupid but he can still turn his life around !"

"What's in it for me ?" He had already taken the decision a while ago. Hell, he wanted to get each and everyone of those foxes out of this mess before it blew up in their faces. But he had to sell it.

"I don't- I don't know."

She was slumping and he let her go.

"There is nothing in it for you. Oh gods, I'm so stupid." She was crying now and Nick had to turn around. He could put on any mask, but tears, they always cracked it. "I thought you were one of the good guys, I thought we were friends, but you're just an asshole like any other."

He went to the window and looked at the street. "I can help your brother but not for free."

"I have nothing. I have no money, no possessions." She retorted.

"I'll keep an eye on him, keep him out of trouble. It's all I can do. In return, you will owe me one favor." He turned to her and squat down to level with her gaze. "Talk to anyone about this, or about me and you won't be the one to paying for it. Am I making myself clear ?"

"You're a monster." Her expression, her stare, it teared him, but nothing showed.

He extended a paw. "Yes. Do we have a deal ?"

She reluctantly shook it. "We have a deal."

He had put back on his jacket and left her building. Walking on the street, he felt like shit. She had perfectly understood him, and it was rare for someone like him to meet someone that trusted him, well that believed he wasn't one of the conniving and scheming foxes. And he had had to destroy this image because it was the safest course of action. It was the safest course of action that didn't involve leaving a corpse behind. This was a small victory, the cell was safe, she would keep her mouth shut and he would still be able to do his job. But to do so, he had destroyed a friendship, a thing that was hard to come by in the situation he was in. He decided to redirect his anger toward his goal. Lycus. He would find him and make him pay. This was getting more and more personal the longer he worked this case. He didn't know how all this would end, but he doubted it would be in a good way.

* * *

 _Tuesday the 12th of march 2019_

To say this task was tedious was an understatement. It was straight up boring. And what's more, she was performing it alone that morning because Blackfur had disappeared in the middle of the night and Wolford had gone to look for her around 10 AM. He had said he would come back at the end of his lunchbreak and stay in late to make up for it.

This morning when she had woken up, all she had found in her roommate stead was a note saying she was sorry but wouldn't be able to accompany her that morning and that she would have to call Wolford.

Indeed, she did and Wolford didn't seem so surprised by the fact that Blackfur had called in sick. He looked worried when he picked her up however and the bunny wasn't able to make him spill the beans on the panda's whereabouts, even if it was obvious he knew something.

Judy was pushing herself toward the frontdesk. Usually, she would eat at the cafeteria, but this time around, she didn't feel like mingling with the other officers, and for the last week, there had been no-one here anyway. Her and her two partners were the only ones that had the luxury to spend their meal in good conditions. Aside from Clawhauser who was almost continuously working the front desk.

So instead, she went to the chubb cat who had opened his lunchbox and had turned his head when he had heard her come.

"Hey Judy, what are you doing here ?"

"Well, since my partners are nowhere to be found, I suppose I could spend my lunchbreak with you here, if you don't mind."

The cheetah rolled his chair aside to leave her some space. "Of course."

Just as he had done so, they heard the chief's quick and heavy pace coming from behind them, from the staircase. They turned around to see a buffalo, head deep inside a file while making his way toward the exit.

"Chief." Saluted the bunny, quickly imitated by the cat. The chief answered it by a salute of hiw own. "That's strange." She said, once he was out.

"What's strange ?"

"Maybe you didn't see it, but he winced when saluting, and there was some cloth protruding from his sleeve."

"Huh ?"

"I think the chief has injured himself. I'd be curious to know how this could happen, seeing how careful he always is."

She turned to the pudgy feline who seemed to be highly focused on his meal, but hadn't dug in yet. "Would you happen to know something about this ?"  
If his face had heated up before, it was now bright red under his fur. He forked a large portion of the pasta with salmon he had prepared for lunch and almost choked on it while trying to regain composure. As much as he could be professional, the cat couldn't summon a poker face to save his life.

"You know something, Ben."

He shook his head with absolutely no conviction whatsoever.

"Tell me." She poked his shoulder. "Tell me." She poked again and his head seemed to plunged into the depth of his neck. "Come ooooon. I'm bored out of my mind. Gimme some of those precinct's gossip."

He mumbled something she couldn't make out.

"What ?"

"Itsembarassing."

"That's what gossip are ! Unless... Unless you are involved !" She bounced on her sit and took a forkfull of her salad. "Obviously you didn't hurt the chief, but you know how he did because you witnessed it first hand..." She glanced at him, and if he tried to go redder, she was certain he would explode. "Tell meeee." She poked him again.

"Alright, alright, but don't tell it to anyone. I think I'd die of embarassment."

She nodded frantically. This was going to be good.

"A few days ago, I stayed after my shift to watch a bit more of this camera footage in your office. Well I fell asleep."

The bunny forked another bite of her salad in her mouth.

"While I was asleep, something poked my belly and... I won't go into details with the what and why, but the dream I was making was most pleasant, and I thought I was still in it when I hugged what was poking me."

Judy had completely stopped chewing.

"So yeah, I hugged the chief's arm." His gaze was fixated on the floor.

He hugged the chief arm ? Wait, the chief poked his belly ? What was going on in this precinct ? First the city had gone crazy, now this ?

"Is it how- ?"

"No. When I got awake I saw it was him and I almost fell from the chair. I grabbed his arm to not fall and-" He got he claws out to mime the scene. "Next thing I knew, I was flat on his abs. Let me tell you, he is ripped." Just as he had said that, he hid his face in his paws. "Oh gods, I said that. I said that. Don't tell him I said that."

Judy was torn between the fact that he had hurt the chief and the thing he had just said. She chose to stay on topic to spare the cheetah. "So his arm ? You grabbed it all claws out ?"

"Yep. I stitched him up afterwards, I hope he's not upseft with me."

"Stitches ? It was that bad ?"

"Those are cheetah's claws, Judy. It could have been way worse, I checked but I didn't cut any ligament."

She finished her meal in silence. A lot of stuff seemed to happen out of her working hours. This morning, Blackfur disappearing, a few days ago the chief was hurt. The city was walking on its head, and seemed to be affecting everything and everyone.

"Blackfur texted me that she was sick this morning. Do you know what's happenned to her ? She didn't give me any explaination."

Judy didn't know what to answer, but in all likelyhood, whatever was happening, he would come to know about it.

"I really don't. She had disappeared from the flat when I woke up this morning."

"Really ?"

"Wolford didn't seem so surprised. Worried, but not surprised. They're really good friends, so he must have an idea of what's happening. I just hope she doesn't get in trouble with the chief."

The cheetah looked around to see if no mammal was here to hear about this. "I don't think she will. When she was transferred here, the chief told me to accept each of her sick leave as she was giving them and not ask for justification. That's strange, but either it's something really confidential, or really personnal."  
Judy didn't know what to answer. She always felt like a certain level of mystery cloaked the panda. Despite her good and kind nature, she always seemed guarded. It was only a feeling until now, but this new bit of information reinforced this impression.

In any case, she didn't want to speculate, whatever was happenig, she wouldn't know about it until it was resolved, or at least until the panda came back that evening. Her lunchbreak was nearly over anyway so she left her friend at his desk and went back to the tedious, boring, long and mind-drowsing task of watching camera records.

* * *

The moment Judy had called him and asked him to come pick her up, the wolf knew something was either really wrong, or really right. And even though he was optimistic to a fault, this time, the feeling that things weren't right wouldn't part with him. He had driven the bunny to the precinct in complete silence, avoiding her mostly rethorical questions. His head wasn't in his work either afterwards. Maybe it was because he was nosy, maybe it was because she was his friend, but something pulled at him, telling there was nowhere else he should be but at her side right now.

Call it instinct, call it paranoia, call it whatever you like, but this feeling pushed him to discreetly leave the precinct at 10AM to rush to the hospital. He should have asked to his superior, but forgiveness was easier to come by than autorisation. He too could be a bit sly when putting his mind to it. And then he ran, because he knew that the hospital was close enough that taking a taxi would make no difference except for his credit card. And because he couldn't shake off that grim feeling that something was wrong, and it was the only way his brain had found to get rid of it at the time.

And so, it was a panting wolf that had gotten throught the doors of the hospital, not even taking time to say hello to the front desk and going right to the elevator. The ride up gave him time to take a breather and he was back to his normal self as he approached the door of Lauren's room.  
He closed his eyes and took a last inspiration, gave a slight knock and opened the door. The first thing that his him was the complete silence. No machine sound, no beeping, no nothing. On the large bed was lying the skinny panda with no breathing mask, eyes closed, peace on her face. Next to her, sitting on a chair, the slumped silhouette of Blackfur, face closed, her face dripping with tears.

Realisation hit like a truck and the wolf stayed frozen at the door. He had guessed what he was about to face the moment he had put the paw on the door handle, the picture had unfolded even before he had looked. But the picture and the truck had collided and now he wished to go back in time and cancel everything.

The panda looked up at him, her expression blank of everything but pain. Never before had the wolf felt so powerless. But he moved anyway making his way to her and putting a paw on a shoulder that was low enough for him to reach. There was nothing to say. Nothing to ease the pain, no joke could do at that moment.  
He had lost track of time, he couldn't say if a few minutes or an hour had passed, but he was giving her all that he could offer. He slightly moved his legs that were beginning to get sore when he heard her mumble something. He didn't dare ask her to repeat and didn't need to because she did so anyway.

"I knew this was coming." Her head that had slumped down when he had put his paw on her shoulder slowly rose up and fixated its gaze on the corpse. "There was no other outcome wasn't there ?" The wolf didn't answer, she wasn't talking to him anyway. "So that's it ? It's over ? I waited all those year for this ? I lost my brother for this ? What a bloody joke."

She stood up and went to the window, repeating that last sentence over and over. "What a bloody joke." Her paw resting on the window frame. "WHAT A BLOODY JOKE !" Her fist met the wall and dented it, bits of concrete falling down. She punched it again with less force, her shoulders shuddering with the sobbing.  
"I lost my brother for this. She should have woken up, we should have been a family again. This isn't fair." She turned to the wolf. "This isn't fair, is it ?" She made a step toward him, uselessly wiping her face that was still dripping with tears. "Is it ?"

He opened his arm and made a gesture for her to come to him. She slumped forward in his arms and he had to muster all his strength not to fall back under her weight.

"It's not fair."

"No it's not." He whispered, while trying to console her.

"Why couldn't it be fair ?"

"I don't know."

She was slowly sliding to the floor and the wolf felt now beyond powerless.

"She should have woken up."

"I know."

"It's not fair."

"I know."

"Why did she have to d-."

"You don't have to say it." He said, giving her a squeeze.

"-did she have to die ?"

The wolf answered nothing.

"My daughter's dead." She was now completely slumped on the floor, her head in the wolf's lap who had absolutely no idea what he could do for her beside being here.

"I'm so sorry Wight."

She gave a sobbing sigh. "Hope is such a fucked up thing. They called me this morning at like 4AM. Told me this was urgent. The machine were beeping like crazy and that's all they told me. At the time they weren't certain what it was. Her organs were failing hard. She had been deteriorating for the past months, this was the last dive." As she was explaining all this, her tears were slowly drying up, as if getting into this explaination was pulling the last strings of emotions that were inside her. "You know, until the end I hoped she would wake up. Just for a split-second, so I could say her I loved her, so I could say good bye. She just went like she lived for the last nineteen years. In her sleep."

Once again he lost track of time, staying like this while the panda stared into empty space. When she straightened up, he couldn't feel his legs, and she actually had to help him get up.

"Sorry about this Wolford."

"Don't be sorry. I think you needed a friend."

She didn't let the awkward silence grow. She took out her phone and looked at the time. "It's almost 1PM, you should get back to work."

"Are you sure you don't need me to stay ?"

"I need a lot of things, and none of them correlate with what I have to do right now. I'll be okay, mostly, but you should get back to work."

"If you need anything..."

"You will be the first to know. Don't worry, I will probably be unbearably depressed in the next weeks, you will have all the leisure to try and cheer me up then." She gave him a little sad smile, and more than the last three hours, seeing her trying to put and a brave front was the most depressing thing the wolf had seen.  
The lupine finally left the premises and went back to the precinct. His mind went back to blank, it couldn't process how all this happened, and even less how the panda could stand up after it. He stopped on the way to buy a hot-dog. When he arrived to the precinct, he simply waved to Judy and went back to the mind-numbing chore.


	24. Closure On This

_**Foxlover91 :** I'd almost quote Game of Thrones to give you an answer, but it could be a spoiler. And I don't like spoilers. But as I believe I said a few chapters ago, I intend to close all the storylines I open. Some will be uplifting, some will be gut-wrenching. A whole array of emotions for you all to enjoy._

 _ **Fox in the hen house :** I hope you bought more than one bottle :)_

 _ **asbadmcflash :** I'm glad you like it so far. Always makes he happy to see my work praised. And since you posted your review on chapter one, I also hope you'll keep reading until you read this answer._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 24 :** Closure On This_

 _The first weeks of march 2019_

He had spent the entirety of the last weeks working with the foxes, taking crates from point A to point B, buying and selling all sort of products that he'd rather not talk about and was now even more aware of how the cell was finding its funding.

Drugs, and lots of them. It seemed they were working as independant resellers, making the bridge between the different parts of town. And the different mob-bosses that were working its underbellies. It was a good and lucrative but dangerous position to be in. It meant making quite a bit of money, but it also meant that a single wrong move could send the operation spinning out of control, and land them into a world of trouble. They were in the perfect place to betray and sell a whole lot of people to the authority, and a single doubt from those individuals would mean they'd be hunted down.

Also in his mind was his meeting with Scarlet. He felt guitly about it, and no amount of self convincing would get rid of the bitter feeling.

But what bothered him the most right now was the atmosphere among the members of the group. Something was wrong, seriously wrong. There were suspicions, talking among them, he could see it in the edge of his vision, the talking between Skye, Osman and Lucas. Were they talking of him ? He had to push away the paranoia induced thought and let nothing show. Frank was a cool-headed grey fox who had seen a lot in his criminal life and was way past the fear of being wrongly accused.

And what's more, now that he kept a closer eye on Michael, he could see how bad the little fox was having it. It was obvious his drug habits were getting worse. Runny nose, constricted pupils, an air of lethargy. He was constantly twitchy. The kid was keeping a good front for his sister, but he was on the brink of breaking and Nick could see it. He could see the moment coming when he would do something stupid and the grey fox was in no position to hep him right now.

Aside from that, morale had dipped a bit. A cell had been dismantled, some of its members had been arrested for drug selling charges but it seemed thay hadn't betrayed the movement. The authority didn't even seem to suspect they were part of it. He had learnt it via Osman. The ZPD's constant presence in the streets was clearly making things more difficult for the foxes and if they wanted to conduct their operations, they would have to wait for everything to blow over. All in all, it was a slow-period which was putting everymammal on edge.

* * *

 _Tuesday the 12th of march 2019_

Wolford had come back and barely said a word to his colleague. It was obvious to the bunny that there was no way he'd say anything about Blackfur and her whereabouts. All she could pull from him was that she was 'doing okay', whatever it could mean.

It was almost the end of the shift and Judy was tired, so tired that she at first didn't believe what she saw on the newsfeed she was consulting on her phone.  
She did a double take, followed by a triple take, before turning to Wolford which was bearing a mix of boredom and unease on his face.

"Wolford ?"

"Yeah ?"

"Tell me you're not reading what I think I'm reading." She said, almost shoving her phone in his face.

His expression grew from boredom to puzzled.

"Holy crap !"

"Read it."

"Doug Ramses is about to be freed on parole."

"Good, I'm not going crazy, it's the world that did."

Doug Ramses, Bellwether's accomplice. He had sold everything and everyone to get the minimal amount of time. Everything that he had done, that they had done, when and how. It was obvious he had kept a journal of all the events for this specific purpose. He didn't believe in Bellwether's cause, he was merely on the ride for the money. And so he, or more precisely his lawyer, had negociated one of the best deals of the century. Less than a year behind bars followed by a release on probation the next month, of which the bunny had totally forgotten about until now.

He'd have to be put on the witness protection program immediately, otherwise he was sure to be the next casualty on Lycus vendetta.

 _Or he could be used as bait._

The bunny mentally fustigated herself for having this thought. They couldn't use a mammal as bait to bring out the mastermind.

"The city is going to go crazy."

"What ?"

"We're releasing one of the main culprit in the Nighthowler's case. You can be sure that one way or another, this will end into some action by this Lycus guy. And whatever this is going to be, the city will go crazy."

The bunny stared at her friend in disbelief. Whatever had happened today, it had put a significant dampener on the wolf's optimistic nature. Of course, she had come to the same conclusion than him, but what she was expecting of him was more along the line of a lighthearted joke or an eleviating remark.  
The world truely had gone crazy.

...

Blackfur had come to the precinct, and accompanied Judy home without a word, and was now sitten on the armchair. She looked like she had something to say to Judy, but the bunny was reluctant to press her. It was obvious that the day had been hard to her, and so she armed herself with patience, a virtue she didn't possess much of, and waited for the ursine to spill the beans.

"I owe you an explanation." She began. "And I'll probably be all over the place for the next few days, so sorry for that too... Okay here goes."  
The panda told the bunny of her daughter, of her brother, how he tried to save her and partly did so. She didn't linger on the details, simply telling her flatly how things unfolded until that day. Judy, who wasn't especially emotional for a bunny, but clearly was compared to the common mammal was already in tears before the end of the story. But though she couldn't dodge the last blow, she at least had been able to steel herself for it. She had gotten up from her wheelchair and used the crutches to approach the bear as she had unfolded her story. She had now a paw on Blackfur's who seemed like she had no tears left to cry.

"So, sorry about me disappearing this morning."

"You don't have to apologize." Sniffled the bunny. "You really don't have any reason to do so. Maybe you should take some leave from work for all this ?"

The panda shook her head. "I don't know if it would help. If I end up being a burden for you and Wolford, I'll take some time off, but I really don't feel like being alone right now." She gave a sad chuckle. "Funny how I'm supposed to take care of you and now I feel the role are about to be reversed."

"If I can do anything to help, you let me know alright ? I mean it."

The panda let the silence linger a bit before spaking again.

"I've set up the burial to take place next friday, don't take it the wrong way but I'm only inviting Wolford. Beside him there will only be my, well her, family."

Though she wasn't upset about not being invited, the bunny wondered why she would invite Wolford. She hadn't been able to hide her inquisitive expression in time because the panda expanded on her answer. "He knew of her for a few months now. He might need closure on this too. And it's only fair."  
How it was only fair, she couldn't really explain but Judy nodded, she seemed to get it.

* * *

 _Friday the 15th of march 2019_

He had put on the nicest suit he could find and was now walking in circles in the flat he shared with the two other officers. Wherever he was going, he feeled he would intrude. However, she had asked him to come because for whatever reason, she felt his presence was needed.

He looked at the time and saw that it was almost time to go. It was good because the wait was putting him on edge and slowly denting his general optimistic outlook on life. Not that he would be able to use it for the next few hours. He sighed and went to the door. He really didn't need to get down right now, Blackfur had promised she would text him when she would come to get him, but he needed some fresh air, a commodity he couldn't find between four walls.

And so, he left the building, taking in the only slightly polluted air of the street. He hadn't spent all his life in Zootopia, having arrived here with his family a few years before entering the academy. What he remembered from the city he came from, were grey block of buildings and fits of coughs. Zootopia was more clean that its inhabitants seemed to think.

Anyway, the time for strange reminiscences had come to pass. A black car had made a stop and he recognized Blackfur waving at the window. He made his way to the vehicle and took the only seat available in the large car, the front one.

On the rear sit were two pandas. The first he recognized, but not the second. He extended a paw to introduce himself.

"Augustyn Wolford."

The panda shook it.

"Oscar Blackfur Egeren."

Nick gave an interrogative glance to Wight and she nodded. The wolf took it as a confirmation that it was her husband. After those brief introductions, the mammals fell silent. The driver was taking them to the same cemetery and soon they found themselves behind a hearse. The timing was morbidly impeccable. Behind them were two other black cars. The procession stopped in the little parking lot in front of the cemetary and everyone got out of their cars.

Wolford looked at the few mammals that had come, beside him, all were ursine. He recognized the waiter – Jake, was it? - from the restaurant where he had gone with Wight, as well as major Friedkin. He wondered what she was doing here until it hit him. Wight's brother was named Darren Friedkin Blackfur. He nodded to the instructor and she nodded back, having recognized him. After all, she was the one that had taught him what he had to know in order to become a cop. Salutations and introductions were swapped, and from what the wolf understood, the mammals he did not know were grand-parents. There were so few people, but he understood that Wight wanted all this to remain intimate. The back doors of the hearse were opened. Wight, Oscar, Major Friedkin – the wolf never learnt her first name, that information seemed of the sacred kind - , and Jake went and carried the coffin.

They had chosen the plot next to Wight's brother and put the coffin on planks over the hole. A light breeze blew on the mammal that were gathered around the black wood box. The sun was there, bright, almost burning, no clouds in the sky. It almost made the wolf chuckle how the movies romanticized burials. There was no rain, no sad music, no panning camera. Only a bunch of depressed mammals, a small coffin containing the corpse of an old child who didn't get the opportunity to live, and a deafening silence.

He saw Wight take a few steps and place herself behind the tombstone, taking a paper from her pocket. Even from where he stood, he could see the water stains on it. Obviously writing the eulogy hadn't been a joyful experience.

"Thank you all for coming. I know Lauren would have loved to see us all reunited again, just for her. She was always so joyful, she loved life, and I'm sure she would have become a great panda.

She battled nineteen years to come back to us, but she lost.

But I refuse to focus on that.

Instead, I'd like to remember the wonderful times she brought us.

She was always so energetic and outgoing. She was never one to stay in place. Always running around, always pestering us to go to the park.

I think it's what I will miss the most, how she always pushed us so she could try new things. She had a hunger for life that so few possess.

I only wish, like I'm sure we all do, that she could have spent more time with us.

Nobody should have to say goodbye to their daughter. No family should bury one of its children.

If there is a place after, I only wish that in the end we all get to be reunited there, and to make up for lost time."

Wolford discreetly wiped the tears from his eyes and saw Friedkin do the same. The grand-parents were openly crying. Wight's husband eyes were overflowing too, but like her, he maintained his composure. The four ursines that had carried the casket lowered it in the ground with ropes. There were easier and more automated ways to do that, but they believed it was something they should do themselves.

As they finished their task, the wolf approached his friend and put a paw on her forearm, looking up at her face. Despite the tears, she had little sad smile, an expression of relief. She glanced at her husband and they both nodded, approaching from the grave.

He saw them reach in their pockets and each of them took a out a simple ring, slowly letting them fall into the hole. The two tinkling that were heard sounded like the knell of a bell. Wight paw reached around the shoulders of her now ex-husband and they hugged right where they stood, while each of the other members of the family threw a handful of dirt on the coffin. The wolf did so in turn. Some of them also placed food offering near the tombstone.

The silence that followed was less incomfortable than he anticipated. Each mammal was trying to take in the grief that was trying to overtake them.

Finally, the sad mood started receiding, and the pandas started mingling. Wight took a few steps toward her friend and led him to the side.

"Thanks for coming."

"You're welcome. Are you- I mean of course you're not, but-"

"I'm okay. Or I will be in a few days."

"Good."

And awkward silence installed itself, and the wolf decided to break it.

"So Oscar is your... Ex-husband ?"

"He is about to be yes."

"Sorry if it's a sensitive topic."

The panda sighed, looking at the grave. "It's not, not really. We had promised that if she ever woke up, we would be there to help her adjust back into society. The ring thing, it was our way to come to term with that."

"I thought you'd be more down than that." He remarked.

"I thought too, but don't worry, I'll probably miserable again in a few minutes." She lloked at the tomb. "You know, deep down, I think I'm relieved to finally being able to put all this behind. It's a horrible thing to say, but after nineteen years, it's like being able to breath again."

The wolf patted her arm empathically. "I could never imagine what you're going through, but for whatever it's worth, I don't think it makes you an horrible mammal."

"It's worth a lot coming from my partner. Let's go back to the others, I want to introduce you more properly."

* * *

 _Saturday the 16th of march 2019_

The week-end had come quicker than Judy had realised. Despite the boring job and the painful reeducation, the announcement of Doug's release had acted like a whip lash on her slowing motivation. That, and she had found a few pictures in the camera footage that showed mammals corresponding to Racton's description. She had sent some of them to Nick and Jack through the secured mail system the ZIA had put up for them and exchanged informations on the evolution of the cases.

Since Judy, Blackfur, Wolford and Clawhauser were working on the case, they were kept up to speed on Doug's whereabouts in his protection program. They had to be able to communicate with the officers responsible for his protection. Clawhauser had been appointed by the chief as the coordinator between them and those officers.

It was funny to see how a mammal that could be so airheaded at first glance, and who never seemed to take his job too seriously, could be so efficient and organized.

The most bizarre thing was that even when he was working his ass off, he never appeared to break a sweat. As long as the job wasn't physical, of course. Always giggling, humming, bouncing, the cheetah did his job with a perpetual happy streak.

It wasn't a good thing to wish for, but those events would surely trigger some kind of reaction from Lycus, and it was the best opportunity to learn more about him, about the other cells and to finally put him behind bars.

Nick had had nothing much to do beside his usual work. Hired muscle and driver. He had come to the conclusion that the work he had done for Vlad had been a waste of time since he had gotten in contact with the foxes by other means. Having spent more time with them, he had now a pretty good idea of where things stood. Aside for Skye and Lucas, his deduction was that the other foxes were kept in the dark on the big picture, even though he doubted these two knew what his end game was.

For now, they were keeping the 'activism' down and focusing on the operations that made them money. Meaning drug selling.

Speaking of which, Judy had had the sample Nick had given her analysed. The other two main ingredients were cocaïne and heroin. Strange considering that they had found scopalamine and GHB in the shooter's system. What Nick had bought wasn't the same thing that had been used on the drugged mammals.

Speaking of scopalamine and GHB, the conclusion on why they were added to the Nighthowler was to make the user receptive to hypnotic suggestion, which would explain why they could do a bit more than being savage mammals. These drugs, like all the ones that could affect one's behavior had other uses. As Jack had informed them, scopalamine could be used in high dosage to strip a mammal from its free will, but was also an ingredient in medication against parkison's disease and gastrointestinal disorders. Obviously, the buck had done his homework.

Nick had observed what kind of drugs were and weren't sold by his fellow vulpines. Heroine, crack and cocaïne, but not the nighthowler stuff, and so he still wondered why Michael had sold him some. Nick knew they distilled some of the plants at the flat, but was pretty certain the final product wasn't made there, since he had delivered some of the half-finished stuff at dead drops scattered all around the city. Those were now dicreetly watched by the authorities.

Jack supposed that the foxes were Vlad's resellers in neutral territory, from what he had peaced together. According to him, the mob-bosses were on edge. The high police presence in the street was making their business harder. According to him still, Vlad was about to make a move but the TV execution event had forced him to postpone it, and now he was pissed at Lycus.

Judy had also shared the pictures of the brown wolf and panther, and Nick had recognised the pair of felines as those he had seen. Those that had killed Don and Ron. Jack also had the feeling he had seen them before and said he would give them what he could find in the ZIA's database, if he really did find something.

She had also pictures of the other van buyers. Foxes that she suspected had a hand in the shootings from two months prior. Nick recognised Skye and Osman on a few of them. This was nothing but coincidental evidence, but it was still better than nothing. Coincidence correlating coincidence could end up being a true evidence.

There was one thing that Judy hadn't share with them. Not with anyone in fact. A hunch, something amiss. Bellwether's kidnapping had been almost flawless in its execution. No one had been caught, no one could be identified. At the time, the mammal that had perpertrated the crimes were ghosts, but afterwards things had gotten sloppy, the fact that Nick had been able to enter one of the terrorists' cell that easily was a proof to her. And the execution of Ron and Don was another.

Making noise, almost getting caught by the cops, it seemed strange for a group that had taken someone from a prison without any suspicions. Then again, the citizens were on edge after the shooting, so it was logical someone could get paranoid and call the cops at the slightliest suspicious thing. Claiming the execution was another thing. Why didn't they claim Bellwether's kidnapping before, was that because they wanted it to have a higher impact later ?  
She couldn't put her finger on it yet, but she was sure things weren't what they seemed.


	25. Letting the Tension Build Up

_**Foxlover91 :** The thing is, I never experienced a burial (which is good thing), so it was pretty me imagining how that would go down (and documenting myself on the internet), glad it turned out okay. But I'm starting to be afraid that my readers will flee._  
 _Doug is about to be released, and yes, you can bet your money on it stirring things up. I don't remember how many mammals he darted, might have to go and check that._  
 _Fun thing you should mention consequences of one's actions..._

 _Put on your seatbelt ladies and gentlemammals, this chapter will be quite long. Or at least a tad longer than what I usually publish._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 25 :** Letting the Tension Build Up_

 _Saturday the 16th of march 2019_

There was something fishy going on. He had started to suspect it the moment received Osman's call. He had given him an adress in the outskirt of Sahara Square, near the docks. He had asked for the fox to come as soon as possible for some sort of business that only him could resolve.

An isolated place, far from their base, a mysterious message for a mysterious task. That had woken all the alarms. He scheduled an e-mail with all the info he had been able to gather until now to be sent one hour after the time of the rendez-vous to Judy. If anything happened to him, she should be one of the first ones to now. As he was doing so, he had another inspiration.

...

"Hello. Jack talking."

"Hello, it's Frank. I think I need some help. The guys have called me to come somewhere for some kind of task, and I'm smelling danger."

"Do you think you've been compromised ?"

"I don't know. I think it's possible. And highly probable it will be the case if I don't go."

"Obviously. Give me the adress."

Nick sent him a text and heard the sound of a keyboard from the other end of the phonecall.

"A warehouse on the outskirt of town. Yeah, that sounds like trouble. Whatever they want you to do, or want to do to you, they don't want to be disturbed. Doesn't seem like a trap to me though."

"Why ?"

"If they wanted to trap you and get you to talk, or even do anything to you, it would be more easy to have you coming at the usual place and bring you there themselves. And it would be way more inconspicuous. When are you supposed to be there ?"

"In two hours."

"Alright, I'm coming to your flat, I had stuff to give you anyway." And just like that, he hung up.

Half an hour later the bunny knocked on his door and Nick opened the door. He was carrying a case that he opened on the coffee table. Inside of it were four black boxes of different size, he opened the second smaller one. "This is a wire. It could be risky but I think it would be great if you wore it from now on. You can have it sending the data directly to the ZIA or the device of your choice. There is the software on an USB key to set that up. Don't worry, it's child play." Nick was far from a computer illiterate, but not really on the tech side either. "You can have it set on 'record only'. It also works as a Talkie Walkie with this earpiece. I have the same one adjusted to the same frequency." He slid the box toward Nick and opened another. "Two micro-cameras. Expensive stuff, 52 hours autonomy. It can be used the same as the wire. It would be great if you could set one up in the cell's den."

"There is always someone there with me, they don't trust me enough yet."

"Well, keep one with you. If you ever have the opportunity please do so." He opened the smaller box yet and took out what looked like a small USB stick. "This is a bug. Plug it on any computer with an internet connexion and our tech team will be able to copy every bit of data from said machine. You have two of them but they can be used as often as you want. Of course the operation takes time so depending on how much data there is, it could take up to several hours." He put back the thing in its box and opened the largest one of them.

"Those are GPS trackers. They can last up to a week once they're on." He showed a strip of plastic on it. "Pull that and you can glue it on almost any surface." He closed the box back. "With the Don and Ron thing, they struck a big blow, but I think the next will be even more violent. Doug will be released soon, and I'm sure it's going to be their next target. We can't let that happen. If you have to chose between stopping them from getting Doug or protect your cover, consider that your cover isn't priority. But don't be reckless either. Got it ?"

"Got it."

Then the two mammals got out of the building and headed their separate way. Nick had put on the wire, earpiece and put a GPS beacons and a camera in his pocket just in case. He went straight to the cell's den. If he could see them and milk them for information before going it would be great. When he arrived he knocked several times but no one answered and the door was locked. This was unusual, there always was someone there. He had thoroughly searched the place before. Well as thoroughly as he could considering that he was never alone in there. So there were no one in, but it didn't mean they had no way of knowing if people went in and out. He was torn between taking the gamble of picking the lock or getting out. In the end, he decided his cover wasn't worth the risk for now.

Jack had gone to the rendez-vous point's vicinity to do a bit of recon. The dock's area had a lot of warehouses, some of them, like the one they had chosen, were abandonned. Next to it, he saw an old car parked and noted the licence plate number. The buck drove around and found a parking lot a mile away where his car wouldn't be too conspicuous. As he made his way back, he received a call from Nick.

"Frank ?"

"They're not at the den. They must be at the warehouse."

"I've seen a car parked near it." He described it to the fox.

"That's one of theirs. Have you seen another one ?"

"No, but they could have parked anywhere in this area. If they have a lookout, there is no way I can approach the building without getting seen. I'll get back to my car, send you the adress of where I parked it and wait for you there."

Nick received the message. With mass transit, he would be on time.

Nick liked to observe the other mammals during those long ZUG rides. Theren a family of mouses were sitted in the rodent level, under the seats of the large mammals. He could hear their squeeky chattering, the parents trying to contain the overenthousiasm of their multiple children. To his left, a couple of kids, one deer, one panther, were playing games on their phones. A buffalo almost bumped into the fox but avoided him at the last second with a polite smile. On the surface, everything seemed normal, but every last mammal was looking around, giving nervous glance to every one that got in and out of the ZUG car.

He had dozed off and almost missed his stop. He easily found the parking lot and knocked on Jack's car window. The bunny unlocked it and Nick got in.

"I've looked around. It's the only car there, so chances are there won't be anyone else."

"Great. Anything else ?"

"I won't be far behind, If things get heated I'll pull you out."

"Thanks, I feel safer already." His joke went unsanwsered and Jack drove him near his destination, parking the car between two warehouses.

"If I talk to you through the earpiece, try to keep a straight face, you don't want to give yourself away."

"Alright. Oh, and keep this for now. I'm sure I won't need them." He gave him the beacon and camera and got out of the car.

Making his way to the warehouse, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was going right into the wolf's den.

 _Well more precisely, fox's den._

But even his inner jokes did nothing to dial down his stress. He was wearing the bulletproof vest, the gun was in its holster under his left arm, the telescopic baton was in another inner pocket. The knuckle duster was in the right pocket of his vest. And finally he had bought a hunting knife, hidden under his trousers left sleeve. It was the first time wearing weapons came as a reassuring thought.

"Jack. It's Frank, do you copy ?" He said under his breath as he was a few meters away from the emty car parked near the warehouse.

"I hear you. Do you need something ?"

"Nope, just checking if you can hear properly."

"Understood. Now forget you're wearing a wire and focus."

Nick took out his phone and called Osman as it had been planned.

"Hello, Osman Speaking ?"

"It's Frank. I'm near the car."

"Don't move, I'm coming to get you." And he hung up.

Nick's stress was reaching its maximum. The orange furred fox appeared at the corner of the building and waved him to come. The usually upbeat fox was trying to hide his sad mood but Nick feigned noticing it.

"Frank, I'm going to approach the building when you'll be inside. Cough if you think the coast is clear outside." Came jack's voice.

"Hi Os', how are you ?" Asked Nick to his comrade.

"Fine. You ?"

"Great. A paranoid mammal would be less so, being called here in the middle of nowhere for some mysterious task."

The orange-brownish fox shrugged and smiled. "A paranoid mammal would have nothing to worry about."

"A paranoid mammal wouldn't be reassured by that." Said Nick with a joking smile.

Osman answered with a chuckle and opened the door for him. The grey fox got in and coughed. "You could have found a dustier place."

"Copy that. I'm getting closer." Said the voice in Nick's earpiece.

"Sorry. Next time, I'll be sure to pick one with the right amound of mould and humidity."

"So thoughtful of you. So what's this mysterious task that only I can accomplish ?"

"Better show you than tell you." The smile was on Osman's face, but not in his voice. As matter of fact, since he had seen the fox, Nick had felt something was wrong.

His smile was wrong, he was stiff, he had bags under his eyes, and looked on edge. If anything, Nick guessed he wasn't happy about what was happenning here.

 _Good thing I'm already totally on edge. No risk to flip out._

They got to a set of stairs leading underground, deamly lit by emergency light. At the end was a door that Osman opened. He let Nick go in front and the grey fox casually put his paw in his pocket, closing it on the knuckle-duster.

As he saw the scene in front of his eyes, it revealed itself to be even worse than anticipated. In the center of the large circle of light shed by a ceiling lamp was a chair. Slumped on the chair was the silhouette of a young fox.

 _Don't be dead._

Nick was walking through thick water, his movement slowed down by the liquid. He didn't notice the three other silhouette outside of the circle of light right away. He was entirely focused on the unconscious light brown fox.

 _Don't be dead._

He was now facing Michael and examined him. The kid had taken a beating but nothing seemed broken. Two claws of his left paw had been torn and blood was still dripping from it. He was breathing slowly, silently whimpering.

 _Great. Not dead._

He casually turned to the other foxes, put on the professional mask and gave a more detailed look to the room. So, in the center was michael strapped to a chair, Skye was here too, arms crossed, and like the other two, she hadn't moved when Nick had entered. Next to her was Sean, wiping blood from a pair of plyers with a satisfied expression. Behind them to their left was Lucas, looking really pale, who really didn't seem okay with the situation. Right in front of the chair, outside the circle of light was a camera. It wasn't recording.

"Guys, what the fuck ?" He casually asked.

Skye sighed and took a step forward into the light. Nick new it was coincidental but it gave a dramatic taste to the scene. As she was looking for her words, he observed her. She was sporting the same bag than Osman had under his eyes, and if he had to guess he'd say she had cried. But he also knew her enough to know that she'd never had done so in public. She was holding it together pretty well considering how protective she was of the members of her cell.

"This idiot thought it would be clever to steal some nighthowler, cut it with random stuff and sell it on the street as a new drug to pay for more heroin."

Nick lifted a brow and shrugged. "Junkies will be junkies." If he could play it down, maybe he could prevent this to go where he suspected it would go.

"Junky or not, our rules are the same. You get in our way, you pay the price." She took out a balaclava from her pocket and gave it to Nick who took it. Then Osman took the revolver he was keeping in his belt.

"Get in our way ? He did something stupid one time. How is it so bad ?"

"One time ? He's been doing that for at least a month. It's a miracle the ZPD didn't get wind of it."

"No harm done then."

He could see his trys at playing the thing down were slowly getting on the arctic fox's nerves. "It's not about harm, it's about principle. We don't betray our own. Now put on the balaclava".

Nick did so, his brain was fired up and looking for a way out of this. He had to find something, and quick. He didn't now if he would be able to shoot a kid in cold blood, and to be honest he really didn't want to find out. He then took the gun and checked it. Only one bullet. If he did try to free the kid and make a run for it, he'd have to take out his own.

"And the camera is there because ?"

"Lycus wants it recorded to be sure it was done. And also because it could be used in another segment on TV to show our resolve."

On this note, the white fox pushed the button and the camera started to record. Nick pointed at the kid's bloody paw. "Was the torture really necessary ?"

"Quicker to get answer that way." Answered Sean. Nick was sure he had heard a touch of satisfaction under his usual monocord tone. Given the glare Skye gave to the larger fox, Nick could guess she didn't condone Sean's overzealous attitude.

Nick looked him dead in the eyes while cocking back the revolver's hammer. With a satisfaction of the same kind, he saw the dark grey fox slightly twitch at the unformulated threat. If anyone else noticed it, they didn't say anything.

Nick took a few steps, placing himself at the side of the young tied up fox. "So this is for the good of our fellow predators ?"

"As I said, it's about principles. Now shoot him and be done with it." Skye said in a tone that she tried to make resolute.

Nick looked at each fox in turn. Sean was hiding his enjoyment, Lucas was trying to look elsewhere, and it was obvious he didn't like what was going on, like Osman who was wearing a pained look.

"And I'm the one doing it because ?"

"Someone has to do it. And I need to know if you really have the guts. If you really are on our side."

 _I'm doing this because beside Sean the nutcase, none of you want to do it, and you refuse to give him the satisfaction._

"You know I didn't come to work for you to be an executioner. But if it's about principles then..." He said, while putting the barrel on the kid's head. As he did so, he observed Skye's reaction. The arctic fox tensed up, her stern expression twitched, her eyes slightly widened and Nick was sure he was detecting a very light tremble.

He let a few seconds pass, deliberately letting the tension build up.

"Shoot him Frank ! Your cover is more important than this junky." Came Jack's voice in his earpiece.

 _Shut the fuck up, you lunatic rabbit._

"Tell me Skye, what is all this operation about ?" Asked Nick, discreetly locking in the hammer block to avoid any accident.

"It's you shoot ing a-"

"Not us here. We all. What we're doing. Us. The other cells. Lycus. What is it all about ?"

The white fox's expression twitched again. "We're showing that we predators won't be stepped on anymore. That we deserve more than what we get."

"So what we're doing is to make the situation better, for all of us. Am I getting it right ?"

"Yes. Now-"

Nick took off the gun from Michael's head, as well as his balaclava from his head, storing it in his back pocket. "A better situation, yeah. You know how much life sucks for us foxes. Tell me Skye, how many times did you wish people wouldn't judge you for being a fox ?"

Nick didn't get an answer so he continued. "I'm about ten years older than you are, and I've stopped counting how many times I wasn't even given a single chance to prove myself." He threw the gun back to its owner who barely caught it. "So, Sean, Lucas, Skye, Osman, Lycus, you know what ? I'm going to do something that even you, that claim to be on the predator's corner, won't do. I'm going to give this kid a second chance."

 _Try and counter that._

No one was moving. Sean seemed to be pissed but Nick could see the hint of relief on Osman's, an Lucas' faces.

"You can't do that ! Lycus won't-" Protested Skye, who half-heartedly tried to take back control of the situation.

"Then stop me." He was facing them defiantly but none of them moved, though Sean really seemed to want to. He turned to face the camera. "Lycus, you want revenge on the pred-haters. I get that, and I'm with you on this. But protecting our own is more important. As Skye said 'we don't betray our own'. Next time you want me to execute someone, you better ask it yourself and have a good reason for it."

Nick took out his knife and began cutting the ziplocks holding Michael to the chair. "So you want to know if I'm on your side ? Yes I am. I'm on the side of every predator including Michael."

He gave little slaps to Michael to wake him up. The kid groaned, opened his eyes ang gave frightened glances around him, slowly remembering how he had ended up here.

"You're okay now. No need to talk, I'm getting you out of here." He helped him up, putting an arm under his shoulder. The movement made him whimper.

"I get that you think he's a liability. So from now on, you can consider him under my responsibility. If he fucks up, consider it me fucking up. It's the best I can offer."  
Skye nodded in agreement, not knowing what else to do. She was glad Frank had found a way to save Mike. She couldn't show flexibility, but the newcomer could, as he wasn't completely part of the group yet. Nick and the kid made their way back up and out of the building. The grey fox half-expect to be shot in the back.

"Do not do that again." Came a voice in his earpiece.

 _Bite me, jackass._

"Now to get a Zuber." Said the grey fox, while faking using the app on his phone, turning it in a way that the kid couldn't see the screen. But he was too busy trying to walk without stumbling. "Great, there is one two minutes away. Let's go to the corner of the block to wait for it."

"Copy that. Your stuff will be in the door compartment, in the back of the car. Try to get it back discreetly. Else, I'll put it in your letterbox tomorrow." Said Jack's voice.

"Thanks." Came Michael's weak voice.

"For saving your life ? Don't mention it."

"No really. Thanks."

Nick sighed. "We're not out of the woods yet. They could change their mind and decide we're both liabilities. We're going to have to let dust settle for a bit. In the meantime, you will crash at mine."

A couple of minutes later, Nick and Michael were in the back of the car. Jack was wearing a cap completed with a mask of worry. "Ya shure, ya don't want me to getcha to a hospital." The thick accent was near perfect.

"Nope, to the adress I gave you. He's going to be fine."

"If ya say so."

Nick helped the kid walking up the stairs, opened the door of the flat and sat him on the couch. He then went to the bathroom and got his first aid kit. He also opened the tub's tap.

"Do you think you have anything broken ?"

"I don't think so. Skye punched me a couple of times but most of it is Sean's work."

Nick sighed. "This guy is a sadist. Give me your paw, I need to disinfect. This is going to sting a lot." Nick sprayed some disinfectant on the injury. The kid winced. "If you think you're hurting a lot now, wait until tomorrow." Nick bandadge the paw and put back the things in the bag. "Get up and get naked."

"What ?"

Nick helped him up and almost had to drag him to the bathroom. "We need to reduce hematoma. I don't think I have enough ice packs for your whole body so get naked and get in the tub." The kids hesitated. Nick lifted a brow. "I'll give you some privacy, but if you aren't in the water when I'm back, you're going in with your clothes on." In the meantime, the grey fox went tot the kitchen a took all the ice trays in the freezer. He heard the sound of a body getting in the water.

"C-cold." He heard, while making his way back.

"Well, you haven't felt anything yet." He answered while coming in without knocking. He unceremoniously emptied the tray into the tub.

"What the-" Said a Michael in his brief, as he tried to get out of it.

"Stay in." Interject the larger fox while pushing him back in with a paw on his chest.

"It's too cold !" The kid was trying to get rid of Nick's paw.

"Mike, if you don't stop, I'll drown your ass until you stop moving. Stay in." Nick said with a tone of authority he had borrowed to chief Bogo. The kid immediately stopped struggling.

 _I'm going to use this more often._

"You're my responsibility now. That means you better do what I say. That also means I won't do anything to deliberately hurt you."

"I'm f-freezing."

"Ten minutes. Try to relax." Nick stopped pushing on the kid's chest but left his paw there. The younger fox leaned back, resting his head on the edge of the tub with a whimper. Nick took the opprotunity to observe his face. No black eye, but one of his cheek was slightly swollen. He would need an ice pack for that too, but it was less urgent than his body. Like, he had suspected, Nick could see the lumps and blue skin under the fur. Sean had taken his time, and it certainly wasn't pretty to look at.

"It hurts."

"It will hurt more if you get out. five minutes left. Don't move, I'll fetch a towel."

Nick had wrapped the shivering fox in a towel and had almost carried him to the couch. "W-was this r-really necessary ?" He asked while teeth-chattering.

"Cold helps vasoconstriction, limits the inner bleeding and helps clotting."

The kid gave him a puzzled glance. "You're a nurse of something ?"

"Nah, I learned that the exact same way you did. Maybe I had the taste to not need being rescued first."

"Sorry." He said, slumping his head.

Nick blinked. "No, I'm sorry. Not a good time to make a joke."

The kid leaned back on the couch. Time past and Nick went to the kitchen to get an ice pack

"Fuck." Came the small fox's voice in a whisper. Nick that was about to give the ice pack to the other fox put it on the coffe table. "Fuck" Tears had become rolling on the kid's face. Nick sat next to him and put a paw on his shoulder that had begun trembling.

"Okay, c'mere." He said, giving the kid an awkward hug. "You're okay." If he had to be honest, Nick had expected that sooner. The kid had been in a lot of pressure but now that it had gone, the emotion had to flow out. The fear, the guilt, the feeling of rejection, all came crashing on hime like a wave. Nick knew he'd need a long time to get over it.

When the young fox stopped sobbing, the ice pack had completely unfrozen and Nick had to get another. He put it on the kid's face and he fell asleep with it on.  
Nick had a dark chuckle. It was like seeing a reflection. A young fox trying so hard to belong, getting rejected by those he believed were his friends. Well, Nick hadn't stolen anything from them, but he hadn't been threatened to be killed either, so maybe their situations were a bit different.

He took out his phone and wondered what he could do now.

He wanted to call the kid's sister, but he didn't really know on what terms they were. Maybe he needed a bit of time to find himself before being confronted to her. So, no big sister for now. That meant he would have to take care of the kid for a few days, and he wasn't very keen on letting him alone for long in the flat. During a few seconds, he considered calling Finnick and ask him a favor, but Finnick was a link to Nick Wilde, not a great idea to maintain his cover.

Nick groaned. He had no choice. He went to and dialed the number.

"Hello ?"

"Hi Judy." He said as low as he could. "I won't be able to make it this afternoon."

"Really ? What's happening ?"

"This is a long story."

"Well, I'm not very busy right now."

Nick opened his room door and looked at the couch. He couldn't see the kid, but if he got up, there was no way He wouldn't notice. He went to the other side of the room, as far as he could from the couch but in a way that he could still perfectly see it in the gap between the door and the doorframe. If he spoke low enough, the kid wouldn't hear him.

"You know the foxes in my cell ? One of them is a kid, caught up on drugs, that kind of things. Stole stuff to sell it to buy more heroin. Since our little company isn't really big on forgiveness, they wanted to eliminate him, and guess who got short straw ?"

"N- Did you-"

"Carrots, it's me we're talking about. I talked our way out of it."

"That's my fox."

"He's at my flat right now. I don't think it's going to be a good idea to leave him alone in the next few days."

"Doesn't he have any family you could send him to ?"

"Based on my own experience, I'm not sure he's ready to come back to his family, if he even got one."

"So we're not seeing eachother tomorrow."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you're doing what's right. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks. Is there anything new on your end ?"

She made a slight pause. "I don't want to keep you. If he's at yours he could hear you."

"Nah. He's sleeping, and even if he wasn't, I'm talking low enough so he wouldn't hear me."

Judy took an inspiration, thinking about what had happened during those two weeks that they hadn't discussed via e-mail yet.

"Okay, let's begin by the crappy stuff. I don't know if you knew, I didn't, but Blackfur had a daughter."

"Had ?"

"Yeah. She fell into a coma years ago, and she died this week. The burial was yesterday."

"Oh fu- crap. That sucks."

"Yeah, it does."

"Can you give her my condoleances ?"

"I'll do that."

A bit of silence passed, before Judy spoke again. "In other news, stuff happened with Clawhauser."

"What did he do ? Beat his record on the number of donuts eaten in less than a minute ?"

"No, not this week." She laughed. "He was staying late at the precinct, watching video footage when he fell asleep on the desk."

"And ?"

"Well, chief Bogo saw him and since I suppose he was really tired too, he woke him up-"

"That's not so bad."

"By poking his belly."

"The chief did that ? Oh my gods. You don't poke a cat's belly by surprise, it's the shortest way to painland."

"Yeah he did. Woke Ben right up, so fast he fell from the chair. But the chief caught him mid fall."

"Wait wait wait. Let me picture that. Ben falling in slow motion while the chief dives to catch him, reaching him at the last moment. An arm under his shoulder, the other around his hip. Rose petals start to fall slowly around them while their faces slowly approach each other..."

"Please don't put those pictures in my head."

"You're no fun carrots."

"I get that a lot." She smiled.

"Do you think he at least got at taste of the Buffalo Butt afterwards ?"

"Oh gods, Nick ! No ! Bad fox !" She snickered. She slowly breathed, ridding herself of the bout of giggles that was rising. "Okay, alright. No, no romantic last second fall breaking. The chief caught him by the arm."

"Less fun."

"Way less fun. Ben was startled so his claws were out."

"Ben hurt the chief ?"

"Yep."

"And he wasn't suspended ?"

"Nope. He stitched the chief himself and that was it."

"Knowing our feline friend, he's not going to forgive himself that easily. He knows how to stitch a wound ?"

"I suspect he knows how to do each and every thing a cop could that doesn't involve physical fitness."

"So, he knows how to stitch a wound, he's the best shot in the precinct-"

"He reorganized record in the few weeks he spent there."

"-Our ultimate cop is a fat cat that can't run. How ironical is that ?"

"I'm sure he can run. He's a cheetah so he would be more of a natural sprinter-"

"-very dangerous over short distances ?"

"You have to get it out of your system, don't you ?"

"I don't have a lot of occasions to joke. Besides, you know you love it."

"Yes, I do."

Nick heard a bit of movement coming from the other room. The kid hadn't moved from the couch, but he had to be waking up. Or he was moving in his sleep. In any case, Nick didn't want to risk it.

"I'm going to hang up now. I love you."

"Love you too."

Nick had made some coffee and was now sitting next to the small vulpine on the couch.  
"What do I do now ?"

Nick chuckled "Are you asking me or asking yourself ?"

"Both I guess."

"You have several choices I believe. You could leave our little group, but I think it would mean flee the city, or put yourself under the protection of the police." The kid shook his head. "Yeah, I wouldn't advise it either. If you have any relatives, you could go to them." The kid shook his head again. "No relatives ?" The kid looked away.

"It's complicated, isn't it ?"

"Yeah."

"How ?"

"You wouldn't understand."

Nick smirked. "Do you believe that ? Well let's compare then. I quit my home when I was twelve over something really stupid. I spent twenty years leaving on the streets, hustling any mammal I came across for their money worth. My father died of cancer seven years ago and it was the last time I saw my mother. Not that I talked to her that day." He had delivered that in a totally casual tone. He sipped some coffee while observing the small vulpine over the border of the mug. "So, do you think I could understand ?"

The kid's shoulders had slumped. "I guess you could."

"You don't have to talk about yourself if you don't want to. But I'm interested into knowing how someone like you ended up in the situation you're in."

The kid sighed and sipped his coffee. By that point, Nick knew he was going to talk. He was desperate for someone to confide in.

"If you want the story since the beginning, it's not that complicated. My mom was a crackhead, Dad was a dealer. The only decent fox in the family was my sister. Well, half-sister from another mother. I don't know what happened to her mom, and I don't think she nows either. Either way, dad was a dealer. He sold pot, but he always tried to keep us away from the stuff. Well he did repeat that we shouldn't touch it, so I guess it counts." He shrugged. "Mom died when I was eleven, but she was never really there, even when she was home, neither was dad, if you see what I mean."

"I guess I do."

"Dad had pretty much given up on us, so it was basically Scarlet and I. We fought a lot, but she tried to keep me on the right path. By that point, I was already doing terrible in school. The five last year I spent there were more about selling stuff that studying. Fun thing is, it's not why I got expelled. I fought a guy who had insulted my sister, said she was a whore. Lost that fight by the way. So I began selling drugs full time. Dad had begun slipping completely, he left one day and we never saw him again. Then I worked for a lot of people, Scarlet and me drifted appart. She wanted me to come live with her but I was making enough to get by on my own. Then four months ago, I met Osman. He talked to me about this group that did all sort of stuff, fought for fox's and pred's rights. You pretty much know the rest."

"Yeah. Your life sucked kiddo, but I don't really see why I wouldn't have understood. You can't go back to your sister because you feel like you have to know how to care of yourself."

"Yeah."

"It's not that complicated. You do drugs because of your circonstances."

"Well, I was in rehab once because of my- um- problem. All I got was comments like 'it's no excuse to do drugs' or 'The law is the law'. The teachers, the concellors, they were no better. I mean, I know I shouldn't do drugs, I know it's stupid and wrong. But I just- "

"It's not easy to stop, is it ?"

The kid shook his head.

They had spent the night at Nick's. He had let the kid use his bedroom while he slept on the couch. The main reason why, was because he didn't want the kid to slip away. During the night, an idea came. A really sly one, but there were chances it would work. And it was for a good cause. He'd have a couple of phone calls to make to arrange things.

When he finally got to sleep, he was in a better mood. Everything would not go smoothly, but it would work, he knew it.


	26. Really Stupid Mistakes

_**Foxlover91 :** Undercover operations are tense. Until now, I thought things had been pretty mellow for Nick. About Sean, yeah, he's pretty messed up. I try to stay away from manicheism, but in his case, he's just all bad. Then again, are psychopaths 'bad', or are they simply the victims of their own condition ?  
_

 _Happy reading folks !_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 26 :** Really Stupid Mistakes_

 _Sunday the 17th of March 2019_

"So what do we do today ?" It was past noon when the kid had gone out of Nick's room. The older fox had had the time to do most of the preparations for his plan. He had been afraid the kid would wake up before he would be back, but it hadn't been the case. The last thing to do now was to try to not have to put it into play.

"We're chilling here."

"Huh, really ?"

"I got some vacation from skye. She gave us the next two weeks."

"Seriously ?" The kid's mouth hung slightly open.

"You need a bit of time to process all this. I think she also wants all of us to use this time to think. I think Osman and Lucas were a bit shaken by what happened."

"That's great, I had some stuff to do outside, maybe I could do that real quick and come back later."

 _Yeah, stuff to do. Sure. I'm not stupid kid._

"Why not, but you need to take a second ice bath. I know, it's not fun, but your bruises need it. I'll prepare the tub, can you get me the ice trays ?"

"Of course."

A few minutes later, the kid was in the tub, trying to relax while slowly turning into an ice stick.

"So what's this business you need to attend to? Can I help ?"

"I d-don't want to bother you. It's like half an hour away. I d-do my thing, I come back."

"It's personnal ?"

"Yeah."

"Family stuff ?"

"Kind of."

"If you need some morale support, I can tag along, it's no bother really."

The kid started to look a bit uncomfortable, aside from the fact that he was naked and freezing his ass in cold water.

"Nah, it's okay, really."

Nick gave him an enigmatic smile before speaking again. "You know, if it's to get to one of you caches of heroin, I don't think it's a good idea."

The casual front the kid had put up instantly disappeared. "It's not-"

Nick lifted a brow. "-Drugs ? How stupid do you think I am ?"

"Yeah. Okay, it's for that. But I need them."

"No one needs drugs. Apart for mammals in hospitals and stuff, but you know what I mean."

The kid stayed silent. "Maybe it's the perfect occasion to try and stop ?"

"It's not that easy you know ? I tried, but I can't."

"I could help you."

"How ? Even if you could, I'm not ready."

"So that's a no ?"

The kid deliberately avoided the question. "Help me out of the tub."

"Two more minutes, kid." Said Nick, pushing him back. A second after he did that, he caught the kids foot.

 _Click-clack._

He rushed to a carton the kid hadn't noticed when he had come into the bathroom. When he saw what Nick was doing he tried to get out of the tub and stop him, but the cold had numbed his body and he wasn't quick enough.

 _Click-clack._

The kid's ankle was now shackled to the cast-iron radiator with a long chain.

"What are you doing ?!"

"I'm getting you off the heroin."

"What ?"

"I'm not letting you leave this flat until you're totally sober."

"What ? You can't do that !"

"I just did, kid."

"Give me the keys !"

"No."

"GIVE ME THE KEYS !"

"Scream all you want, the place is perfectly soundproof." Nick had to keep himself from smirking. This wasn't the time and place, but he couldn't keep from thinking about a lot of jokes and sarcastic remarks he could make right now. Angry mammals had that effect on him.

The kid lunged at him, trying to punch him. Nick simply dodged to the side. "Alright, I'll let you cool down for a bit." He got out of the bathroom and slammed the door shut, taking the chair he had conveniently place near it and using it to keep it shut. "I'll let you out in an hour, have fun."

Nick put on his headphones and went to his benchpress.

...

He opened the door. The kid was sitting on the tiles, covered in Nick's bathrobe.

"Better ?"

"Fuck you."

"No thanks. Hungry ? I made pasta."

Nick trudged back in the living room. A few seconds later he heard a grumbling kid following him. He served him a large pasta bowl, with tomato sauce and cheese.

None of them had eaten since yesterday and the young vulpine dug in.

"Do you know why real cheese is that expensive ?"

Michael lifted his gaze from his food without stopping eating.

"Most mammal don't think twice about what cheese is made of. Or from where the milk does come from." The older fox continued.

"Huh ?"

Nick snickered. "Cows and goats sell their milk. I find it fun how we don't eat eachother anymore, but have no problem eating stuff that come from eachother's body. Well mostly from preys."

"Dude, no."

"Do you think if there was a way to get prey mammal meat without hurting them we'd eat it too ?"

"Are you trying to disgust me from my meal ? Because you won't."

"I'm just asking." He said with a smile in the corner of his mouth.

Monday the 18th of March 2019

"So what's your play here, old fox ?"

"What do you mean, 'what's my play ?'"

"You here, making me get rid of the stuff, getting me sober. What do you get out of it ?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was doing that for the sake of doing a good deed ?"

"No."

"You're my responsibility. If you screw up again I go down with you. I'm getting you sober for my own sake. The alternative was me putting a bullet in your head. Not a fan of that outcome."

"Me neither."

Nick's phone rang and Nick quit the living room to get to the bedroom.

* * *

 _Tuesday the 19th of March 2019_

The kid was feverish, his body was shaking heavily under the blankets. Nick had installed him in his own bed, having taken the couch. The chain was long enough for the kid to go anywhere in the flat, but short enough so that he couldn't reach the door. In any case, he was currently in no shape to go out.

"How many times a week did you take this shit."

"Once."

Nick lifted a brow.

"Twice, Sometimes more."

"That's more like it."

He had regular spasms in his whole body, but it were only the first symptoms, and they stayed light for now.

"I tell you where's my stash, you just give me half a dose. We can do this slowly." Proposed Michael.

"Nope." Smiled Nick.

"Fuck you."

"Not doing that either." Said the grey fox. "Stop complaining, it's only the first day. Tomorrow will be worse." The dark humor was rising, Nick didn't like to see the youngling in this state.

"You're an asshole."

"I get that a lot. I'll fill you a warm bath, it'll help. I hope it won't impede with your hematoma's healing process."

The shiver faded away slowly as the kid got in the tub. He gave a whimper as his eyes closed, slowly relaxing.

* * *

 _Wednseday the 20th of March 2019_

"You need to eat."

"I-I'm not hun-hungry."

"You'll need strength for this."

"N-not hungry !'

Nick sat in front of the sick looking fox. He hadn't slept at all that night, and Nick himself had had trouble doing so. He had heard him walk back a forth, talking to himself through the bedroom door.

"Eat !"

"Fuck you ! You're not my dad !"

"If I was your dad, you wouldn't be in this situation to begin with."

"You can talk, you're both criminals, you're no better than he was."

Nick's phone ran. "Eat." He said while living the room, phone in hand.

* * *

 _Thursday the 21th of March 2019_

"Please ! Just a dose. I'll do anything ! Please !"

Nick was holding him as he was trembling. The kid was trying to punch him with no effect. The withdrawal had taken away all his strength. Nick felt really tired too, the kid had spent his night weeping and screaming.

"No."

"Why are you doing this !"

"I'm saving your life."

"You're killing me !"

"Well you were already killing yourself before, What's the difference ?" Nick had screamed. Watching the kid in this state was torture for him, but there was no other solution than waiting for it to end.

The good news was the kid had retreated in a state of half-mutism, only protesting sporadically.

"I'm sorry." Said Nick.

"Fuck you."

"I'm sorry for screaming. I'm sorry that's it's so hard."

The kid didn't answer. He was still shivering, trying to keep his legs from moving. He had puked twice that morning and he felt like it wouldn't be the last time. He couldn't eat anything but Nick made him drink a lot.

"Hey wanna know how I got the idea with the chain."

The kid glared at him.

"Comes from a movie 'Black Snake Moan.' with Samuel Lee Pawson. Great movie. I was going to cuff you directly to the radiator but I wanted you to be able to sleep in a real bed."

"I don't care. Leave me alone."

* * *

 _Friday the 22th of March 2019_

"Just do it."

"What ?"

"The o-other solution."

Nick had to think to understand what the kid meant. "You want me to shoot you ?"

"Yes p-please. It's of no u-use anyway."

"No."

"I'll g-get back to it as s-soon as I'll be out of here !"

"No."

The kid was weeping. "Shoot me. It's t-too hard !"

"I know."

"No you d-don't ! You don't know what you're doing to me ! It's going to k-kill me, I feel it ! Save us both the t-time and kill me already !"

"No."

"You're a sadist like S-Sean !" Shouted the kid, brandishing the paws that where his claws had been ripped out. It was healing alright, but Nick had bandaged it again. "You like l-looking at mammal suffer !"

Nick smacked him across the face, and regreted it instantly. "Sorry." He left the kid alone and went to the bathroom to splash some water on his face.

It was hard on Nick but it was even harder on the kid. He had to keep his cool, but seeing him go through that was making him go mad. Like the young vulpine, he had barely eaten in three days. He cooked some rice and ate it bland, preparing a plate for his guest too.

* * *

 _Staturday the 23th of March 2019_

"You d-don't know."

The kid had nothing but bile to puke by now. He was sleeping on and off fifteen minutes at a time and the fever still ran through his body.

"What ?" Said Nick, sitting across the bed facing the kid.

"You don't know how it feels !"

"Withdrawal syndrome ?"

"Yeah."

Nick chuckled. "I have something to show you." He approached the kid and showed him the inside of his left elbow. "Look."

"What am I s-supposed to see ?"

"Here between the hair. You can barely see them."

The kid saw the old needle scars.

"F-fuck you."

"I know exactly what you're going through."

"F-fuck you !"

"You're not the only one whose life sucks. I spent twenty years in the street. Do you believe I didn't do a bunch of really stupid mistakes ?"

"H-how did you get off ?"

Nick gave a dark chuckle. "The same way you did. Less chains and more punches in the snout in the process. Fun times."

The kid didn't answer. He was trying to make the information go through his hazy mind.

"You're doing okay. You're in the peak now. Tomorrow will be easier." He patted the kid's shoulder and went to his room. The kid could hear his voice having a conversation on the phone, but he couldn't make out what was said.

* * *

 _Sunday the 24th of March 2019_

"I can't do it."

"You can do it. Any mammal can do it."

"Please ! J-juste one dose."

"You're half-way there. I'm not spoiling that."

The kid was still feverish. He had already taken a bath that day and he was so weak Nick had to carry him from the bedroom to the bathroom.  
Nick's phone rang and he got out of the room for a few minutes. The kid could hear his voice but couldn't make out what was said. After he hung up, he got back in the room.

"I have to go deal with stuff outside. Don't move from here, I'll be back in a bit."

"C-could you-"

"I'm not getting your dope."

* * *

 _Monday the 25tf of March 2019_

"I'm such a fuck up."

"No you're not."

"I'm a f-fucking junky and I couldn't even s-stop if my life was on the line. Hell, that's exactly w-what happened."

"And then what ? It's okay to need help."

"You shouldn't waste your t-time with me."

Nick sighed. "What do you do when you can't run ?"

"Huh ?"

"When you can't run ? What do you do ?"

"What are y-you talking about ?"

"When you can't run, you walk, and when you can't walk, you crawl. And when you can't do that... You find someone to carry you."

"What d-do you mean ?"

"I'm carrying you. You needed the help and I thought you deserved it. Now stop spilling nonsense and get sober."

Tuesday the 26th of March 2019

"You're looking better."

"I-I feel a bit better."

"Great. You see, that wasn't so hard."

"F-fuck you." Nick heard a chuckle in the insult.

"Still not doing that."

"You're s-still not funny."

"My humour is too subtle for your junky brain."

The kid chuckled again.

"If this evening you're doing good, maybe we can get rid of the chain."

The kid smiled and looked at his leg.

"No, not a good idea."

"What ?"

"I think I'll need it a bit longer."

Nick smiled. He felt like he could unshackle the kid right away.

* * *

 _Wednesday the 27th of March 2019_

"I'm going to buy some groceries. Do you want something specific ?"

"Could we have chicken burgers ?"

The kid was doing a lot better that day.

"I can get that."

"And pizzas ?"

"We can't have both."

"For later ?"

"I suppose I can buy burgers and some frozen pizza for later."

Nick left the flat. When he came back, the kid had moved from the couch and done a raid on the fridge. The leftover pastas had disappeared.

"Okay, you were really hungry."

"I still have space enough for burgers."

"Teenagers..." Snickered the older fox.

"Fuck you."

...

"You should breathe between bites, you know."

"You no' mah' da'. I don' ha' 'o li'en 'o you."

"I've heard that one before."

The kid still look tired, and the fever wasn't completely gone but overall he was doing really good.

"But I doubt you would listen to me more if I was your father."

"Tha's true."

...

 _Click-clack_

"Huh ?"

"You're clean."

"Are you sure ?"

"Okay, you're mostly clean. But I think you can handle it."

The kid looked at his free leg for a few seconds. "Can I go out ?"

"As you said, I'm not your dad. You can do what you want."

"Didn't seem like it during those last two weeks."

"Yeah, well, chain or no chain, you weren't free either way."

The kid marked a pause.

"I have something to do outside."

"Then, go do it."

"You're not going to stop me ?"

"Let me be clear. If you're going to plug a needle in your vein, don't bother coming back. If you truly have important business outside, just go. If you need me to come with you, just ask."

"I think I need to do that alone."

The kid left a few moments later waving to Nick. The older fox was nervous. He hoped the kid wouldn't imediately fall back into his bad habits. Maybe he should have kept him in a bit longer, just so that the drug would be completely eliminated. He shrugged. If the kid was going to do something stupid, then he would. There weren't really anything he could do about it now. He couldn't keep him chained in his flat for the rest of his life.

...

"I'm back."

"Great. How was business ?"

The younger fox shrugged dismissively. "I need your help. Do you happen to have some lighter fluid ?"

"Sure." Nick went to the kitchen and came back with the plastic bottle. "Here you go."

Michael seemed hesitant.

"Alright, let me grab my coat." Smiled Nick.

A few minutes later, they were in a vacant lot. The place had just been demolished and was schedule to be a construction site soon. The kid had dug a hole and hid it under some weed and branches. There was a bag inside. He kneeled down and opened it, emptying its content. There was a bit of drug, like one dose in a tube. The rest were clean needles and some other medical stuff repurposed for drug use. Nick whistled.

"It's my personnal stuff. It was stashed around the city but I don't think I will need it anymore." Explained Mike.

He took the lighter fluid and sprayed it on the stuff. Then lighted a match and threw it on top.

"Sheesh kid. You're not fooling around."

"I don't need it anyrmore." He said scratching the inside of his left elbow.

Nick put a paw on his shoulder.

"You can be proud of yourself."

* * *

 _Thursday the 28th of March 2019_

"Shit." Nick was looking at his phone.

"What ?" Michael was laying on the couch watching TV with a large bowl of popcorn. A side-effect of getting off the drug was a constant hunger. Nick hoped it would be temporary but it wasn't unusual to ditch an addiction to another.

"Nothing. Just a phonecall to make."

Nick went to his room phone in hand. He came out a few minutes later with a vest, his holster and most of the arsenal he wore when working with the gang.

"Is everything alright ?" Asked the kid.

"Fine, don't worry. I just have something to do tonight."

"Do you need help ?"

"Nah. Just someone to see."

"You're always packing all this stuff when you just 'talk' with someone ?"

Nick secured his gun under his shoulder. "What this ? I'm always wearing that when I go out. Even when I'm out with the gang."

"You're a bit paranoid aren't you ?"

"Well, I'm still alive, aren't I ? The keys are on the counter, don't wait for me."

Nick left the building at a quick pace. He was working up the plan for what he was about to do, but he knew he'd have to improvise most of it.


	27. As Devious As Always

_**Foxlover91 :** Let's just say Nick has a past, and that past affects him. Mixed to the situation he's in, it's bound to become an explosive cocktail...  
_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 27 :** As Devious As Always_

 _Thursday the 28th of March 2019_

He was a few minutes from his destination when he finally notices that he was followed. He made a few turns in random streets but the silhouette behind him was still there. And in the shadows of the evening he couldn't make out who it was. The area where he was in the north of Tundratown was mostly made of large streets and warehouses but fortunately there weren't many people out at this hour.

He used the same tactic than with Osman. He turned at a street corner and waited for his follower to show himself. He heard the quick pace. The guy was an amateur.

To follow someone discreetly one had to approach corners slowly and casually, not in a hurry.

The moment the snout appeared, Nick caught the mammal by the collar and shoved him against the wall, knife under the chin.

"Wow wow wow. Frank it's me."

"Mike ? What the hell are you doing here ?"

"Well you seemed very worried and I thought you could need help so I followed you."

Nick pinched the bridge of his snout. "Right, okay. Of course. Listen kid, I appreciate your concern but I don't want to put you at risk."  
The smaller vulpine lifted a brow. "So you ARE doing something dangerous ?"

"Yes. That's what I do for a living. Now please leave."

"But I want to help you !"

"I don't need help for this. Really."

The yound fox gave him a look of disbelief. "Really ?"

"Yeah, really."

"So it must not be THAT dangerous, I can come then." The kid had a little smirk.

 _Foxes. We're all the same, aren't we ?_

"No !"

"Frank, I know you made a few phonecalls this week while you thought I was too busy being in withdrawal. I don't know to whom, but each time you sounded increasingly worried. Today you storm out, you rush somewhere. Whatever you're going to do, I don't think it's going to be easy. Please let me help you, it's the least I can do."

"I'm not rushing."

"Is it an adult thing to refuse help ? Because both Skye my sister do that a lot."

It was Nick's turn to smirk. "You're worried about me ?"

"Yeah." That answer wiped Nick's smirk off his snout.

"You're not letting that go, are you ?"

"No."

Nick sighed. "Should've let you shackled... Alright. You can help, but you must do exactly as I say alright ?"

"Yes sir." The kid saluted.

"Seriously. Lives are at play."

"It's that serious ?"

Nick shrugged as an answer.

"What are we doing ?"

The older fox began walking again. "I'll tell you what I can. I'd appreciate if you kept your mouth shut about this."

"I'll be as mute as a tomb."

"Interesting choice of words. About ten days ago, someone called me about a problem he had. I've had to call a few of my contact to find what's needed to take care of his problem. We're going to break someone out."

"Out of jail ?"

"Nah, worse. Of the paws of some crime-boss' henchmen. Be quiet now, we're there."

From where they were, they could see a medium-sized warehouse. There were two wolves guarding it. Nick whispered. "I'm going to go around to see if there are other guards. You stay here. Don't get seen and don't make a sound." Before the little fox could answer, the grey one had disappeared.

Mike looked at the two wolves. There was a black and a white one. The white on the left was reading a magazine, the other was sleeping standing against the wall.

He squinted his eyes. He had seen them somewhere before. He jumped when Nick reappeared at his side.

"Frank, I almost had a heart attack."

"Would be a shame for someone as young as you. Well... drugs, will do that to you."

"Not funny. I know those guys."

"Oh ? From where ?" Nick gritted his teeth. He didn't want the kid to know what exactly was going on.

"I can't remember right now."

"Maybe it will come back later." But Nick really hope he wouldn't. He took out the balaclava he hadn't given back to skye and gave it to the kid while putting on his own.

"Put that on and follow me. From now on you call me Mark and I call you Joe. Do not, in any circumstance call me by my real name. There is a door locked from the inside on the other side of the building and also an open window I can't reach on my own."

They avoided the guards and ended in the back of the building. Nick pointed to the open window and the kid nodded. Nick put himself in position and gave a boost to the shortest vulpine. He sent him high enough that he could reach the windows edge. He heard him left himself on the other side. A few second later, the door was open.

"It was barred from the inside" He whispered. "The lock was opened though."

"Yeah, I know about the lock." Nick winked.

"Figures."

The warehouse was silent. The dust on the floor and shelves were the proof that few mammals got in and out.

"What are-"

"Shush !"

Nick had found tracks in the dust. They went from the front door to a wall. Nick observerd it. "Secret passage ?" He put his ear against it and listened. No sound. He gave two knocks. It sounded like there was passage on the other side. "So cliché. Look around for some sort of mechanism."

"Got it."

But Nick feared this would only opened with some sort of wireless signal of from the inside. He poked around a bit but couldn't find anything.

"There is something strange here." Came the kid's voice.

Nick approached the place where Michael was standing. On a shelf was an old radio. On some of its keys, the dust had not settled and there were clearly fingerprints. He lifted a brow, three keys had no dust, there had to be some sort of code. Left to right didn't work, neither did right to left. Center, left, right.

 _Click_

The wall rotated with a light woosh. Seems the mechanisme was perfectly oiled. It hid a set of stairs going down under the warehouse. They slowly made their way down.

"Frank ?"

"Shush."

"Frank, I know where I saw those guys before."

 _Shit._

"They're Vlad's folks."

"..."

"What are we doing here ?"

"We're freeing some mammal."

"But who ?"

"Shush. You're free to go if you don't like this."

"I'm staying."

The path took a turn after the stairs and Nick risked an eye. There was a little room with no door. A wolf was sleeping with a few empty beer bottles on the table where his face rested. On the other side of the room was a doorless frame leading to a dimly lit hallway. They'd have to get around the table and the sleeping guard to get through. At that moment, Nick regretted to not have any non-lethal options to take out the guard, instead he chose the riskier one, crossing the room without waking him up. A paw on his gun, he took a few steps in the room. The wolf snorted but didn't wake up. Very slowly and carefully, he reached the second door.

Glancing behind him, he saw the kid following. He arrived at Nick's side not having made a sound. Nick exhaled in relief and continued his way in the hallway he had reached. The walls were a series of heavy metal doors. More than half of them were opened but a few were latched close. In the end of the hallway was another turn to the left. Once again, Nick risked an eye. He saw a guard making his round in a slow step. If Nick could see his face, he would have recognized the typical expression of boredness and tiredness worn by all guards in late nightshifts. For now, he had his back turned to him, but the moment he would reach the end of the hallway, he would surely come back. The grey fox thought about waiting to ambush him there but the noise he would do risked waking the other guard up. He looked again, to see if there was something that could help him take him out silently. Nothing, beside a stool next to the wall at the other end of the hallway. That's when Nick had an idea

He could use the open cells as hiding spots to advance to the end of the hallway in order to ambush the wolf at the end.

"Follow me and don't make a sound." He repeated.

The kid nodded and they launched themselves as silently as they could. Trying to limitate the risk, the older fox hauled them in an open cell at a third of their course, hiding behind each side of the door frame. Suddenly Nick had a strange flashback. He quickly took out both his phones from his pocket and set them in airplane mode.

Seeing him, the kid did the same. He silently exhaled again.

The wolf got past their hiding spot. Nick heard him scoff. "Damn dust." The canid said and continued his round in the hallway behind the corner they came from. Nick got out of the cell, followed by the young vulpine, and went to hide himself in an open cell near the wall at the end of the hallway. He took out his telescopic baton.

"You don't move from here until I say so, got it ?"

The young fox nodded.

Less than a minute later the wolf was back. Nick could hear his footsteps closing in. After they had stopped and started again, the armed fox got out and silently approached the canid. The moment Nick tried to hit was the same the wolf chose to sneeze. The baton brushed his ears. "What ?" Taken aback, Nick almost stumbled but pulled himself together, swinging the weapon again. Sadly he missed his opposant chin, hitting the brow instead. The canid yipped and fell on his face after a spin, trying to take his gun out of its holster. But it was too late, Nick had jumped on his back and had begun choking him. He could have beaten him unconscious but he didn't want to risk killing the wolf. Choking was still dangerous but he could stop right after his opponent was out of commission.

Finally, the wolf stopped struggling and went limp, immediately Nick lied him on his side and checked his pulse and breath.

"Is he-"

"Alive. He's al-"

"Darby ?" Came a tireful voice from the corner of the hallway. "I heard noise, are you okay ?"

They wouldn't have time to pull the wolf in a cell. Nick would have to take him out. He reluctantly pulled out his gun and start walking toward the corner.

"Darby ?"

The wolf appeared and his eyes shot wide open. A quarter of second later, Nick saw the telescopic baton he had let go to choke the other wolf fly past his head and hit the newcomer right in the snout. He gave a yelp while putting his paws to his face. Nick immediately sprinted toward the wolf and embedded his fist in his solar plexus, resulting in a really satisfying sound of hurt and exhalation. He stumbled backwards, holding his guts and Nick simply dragged the out of breath canid by the leg. At this moment he was really pleased to have spent so much of his free time on the benchpress. He hauled the two wolves in an empty sell and disarmed them.

"Make only one sound and I come back to shoot you both." He then closed the door and latched it. "Nice aim kid."

"Thanks."

Nick looked around. "Do you know how to drive ?"

"No, but it must not be that complicated."

Nick bit his lip. That wasn't going to do. He unlatched one of the closed door and looked inside. A young female deer.

"Who are we looking for ?"

"An otter." He took out his smartphone and took picture, he then gave it to the kid. "I open doors you take photos. Try not to have me in the frame."

"Why ?"

"Evidence."

The next twenty minutes were spent in high stress while Nick opened one cell after the other, conforting its occupant and helping them out.

"Found her." Came the kid's voice.

The female otter was looking tired and underfed but otherwise in good health.

"Are you Diana Otterton ?"

"Yes, who are-"

"Later. We're getting you out."

Quickly, everymammal was in the hallway.

"Alright guys. I'm taking you out of here. I want you keep your mouths closed until wer'e out of here. Those that can't walk, you get someone to help you. When I say stop you stop, when I say follow you come. No time for questions. Stay here, I'm going to see if the path is clear."  
He quickly headed up and checked, but it seemed the way was still clear.

"Come."

They got up the stairs and he stopped them in the warehouse, making them hide behind crates. He then closed the secret passage.

"Kid, do you have my phone number ?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to find us a vehicle. Call me immeditaley if things go south. Here, take my gun, do you know how to use it ?"

"Skye taught me."

"Great. If you're discovered you have to get them out of here and protect them. Can you do that ?"

"I-I'll try."

"Perfect. See you in a bit."

The next few minutes in the warehouse were gut wrenching. Michael was now seeing how risky all this operation was. With Frank around, he felt relatively safe, but being there was completely insane. Though he had never witnessed it, he knew how ended up mammals that crossed Vlad. He had a hard time keeping at bay the shivers in his spine. But he had to look tough. Mammals depended on him and Frank had entrusted him with their safety.

The thirty minutes felt more like hours. He heard Nick coming behind him and gave him back the gun.

"Did you find something ?"

"An old truck. I parked it behind the fences." He got and whispered slightly louder. "Everyone wake up, we're heading out. Do not make a sound."

The silent procession made its way out and the two masked vulpine held up the fence so the mammals could get under. Nick then opened the truck's back doors and signaled them to get in. Most of them went straight in but some hesitated.

"If you want to leave on your own, you're free, but this will be faster." It finished convincing the ones that were hesitating. He then closed the doors behind them and took the wheel after wiring up the truck. He took out his phone, looked at the kid and shrugged. On highspeaker or not, he would hear everything.

"Hello Koslov. I have truckfull of food to deliver."

"Frank ? What is this about food and trucks ?"

"The special delivery your boss asked me about ? I'm doing it now."

"Oh. That delivery. This was a vegan pizza right ?"

"Yeah, well I got mixed up so it will be a dozen pizza with all kinds of toppings."

After a few seconds of silence, Koslov's voice was heard again. "Alright, but I don't know what I will do with all those extra pizzas."

"We'll figure it out."

Nick hung up. He saw the kid giving him a peculiar look. "What's this about pizzas ?"

"I wasn't about to tell I had a truck full of mammals on a phone. It's unprofessional."

"And where are we going ?"

"You'll see for yourself soon enough. Oops almost forgot that." He took out the balaclava and the kid did the same.

...

As they got past the Big's estate's gates, Nick glanced at the kid. He had recognised the place that everyone in Zootopia knew.

"Frank ? Are you sure about this ?"

"Come on kid. Have a little faith."

He could see the young vulpine was pale. "Did we just take a bunch of Vlad's prisonner to give them to Mr Big ?"

"I'm not giving him anything. I'm trying to not fuck up the subtle balance of power in this city."

"What does that mean ?"

Nick smiled and didn't answer the question. Instead, he spoke under his breath. "Now comes the fun part."

He got out of the truck parked between two expensive cars and the kid followed him. They were now facing Koslov and four other polar bears he didn't know. "Hey Koslov. How is it going ?"

The polar bear looked at his watch. "Considering you had the courtesy to disturb us after dinner, it's going fine."

"Great. You will find miss Otterton among the other mammals. I think they all had a rough time so if you could be kind enough to provide some warmth and food for them, I'm sure they would be grateful."

The polar bear sighed with an annoyed look. "You'll have a great deal of explaining to do." He pointed at the kid. "Package deal ?"

"I'll vouch for him."

"Good enough for me."

While the four other ursines helped the now ex-prisoners out, he leaded them in the house.

"You can vouch for people to meet Mr Big ?"

Nick frowned. He had forgotten the kid wasn't supposed to know those kinds of things. He really was tired.

"Seems I can. Maybe forget about it ?"

They entered a luxurous salon with red curtain and rich wood furnitures. "Please take a seat. Mr Big will be there shortly." And the bear left the room.

Nick slumped back on the couch and felt his eyes slowly closing. "I'm on my last leg." He chuckled.

"Are you seriously going to fall asleep here ?"

"It's tempting, but no."

A few seconds later, as Nick was yawning, Koslove came back carrying the mob-boss and put him on a high stool. Nick got up and kissed his hand, imitated but Michael.

"Hello Mr Big, sorry to bother you this late. This is Michael."

"Nice to meet you Michael." Answered the shrew with his usual thick accent.

"Likewise sir."

"So Frank, I heard you've taken care of my little problem ?"

"Yes I did."

Koslov cleared his throat. "He'll be here in ten minutes sir."

"Oh ? Please be so kind as to bring his wife here."

"As you wish sir."

Koslov left the room and the kid was surprised that the bodyguard would leave alone his boss with two guests.

"While we're alone Frank, I'd like you to tell me what I'm supposed to do with the dozen of ex-prisoners you brought here. May I remind you my organization is not into mammal trafficking ?"

"I know that. I simply thought it would be best to let you have the opportunity to choose wheter they'd talk to the police or not. I mean, if they did, it would put Vlad in deep trouble, but I know the mob politics tends to be a tad complicated. I thought that maybe you'd like to keep all this under wrap. What to do with them... Well you could give them back to their families, get a reward, that kind of stuff. I have also a bunch of photos that I'll send you. I'm sure you'll find them interesting"

Nick glanced at Michael. He was puzzled, wondering how this grey fox, newcomer in this city, could talk to this boss like their were acquaintances.

"We'll figure something out."

A few minutes later, Mrs Otterton entered the salon. She was still wearing a tired look, but looked better tahn a few minutes ago.

"Hello Mr Big."

"Hello my dear. Please have a seat. Your husband will be there shortly." She did and soon after snacks and drinks were served.

"Please help yourselves to the plate."

The female otter looked at the two foxes with a look of interest. "You were the ones that got us out, weren't you ?"  
"Yep, that's us. Saviors of the weak, protector of widows and orphans." Said Nick with a smirk before sipping his coffee.

"Thank you."

Nick shrugged, dismissing the praise. Though he had done it because it was the right thing to do, Frank had done so because it was business.  
Only a minute later, the doors opened again and an otter, escorted by two polar bears went in. He glanced at the shrew who nodded and Mr Otterton ran to his wife and hugged her. Nick almost wanted to imitate Clawhauser's trademark 'DAAAAAWWWW'. It was funny how things had mirrored themselves those past two weeks.

"Honey, are you alright ? I was so worried !"

Mr Big cleared his throat and the two interlocked otters slowly moved apart, still holding their paws.

"Mr Otterton, I would like you to explain to me why you didn't tell me your wife had been taken." Nor Nick, nor Michael missed the threatening undertone in the crime-boss' voice. The mammal present could hear the otter swallow before he began speaking.

"First they told me they'd kill her if I asked for any sort of help. The price they asked for her release was a bagful of Nighthowler bulbs. So I gave it to them."

"And then ?"

"They didn't give her back. And they had the proof I had done business with them, so they threatened to tell you if I didn't give them more."

The otter seemed really nervous and Nick couldn't blame him, but despite his shaking paws, he didn't stutter and kept an even tone.

"And at that moment, you didn't think it was a good idea to warn me ?"

The otter's shoulder slumped. "I was afraid for her."

Nick heard the kid whisper. "This guy was on the news, one of the missing mammals of a while back. He's just a gardener, why does Mr Big make all this sound like a big deal."

"It's a gardener working for a crime boss. A guy who knows his plants. Do I need to draw a picture of what his real job is ?" Whispered back Nick with humor.

"Oh. Got it."

The otter continued. "I'm sorry for what I did, but talking about it to you could have put my wife at risk."

Silence fell on the room. Tension rose and Nick could see the cogs turn in the small shrew's head.

"Your put me in a difficult position Emmitt. On one paw, I should punish you for betraying the family, but on the other, I can't blame you for trying to protect your own."  
Nick wanted to add that not many people knew about it and it could stay hidden, but it wasn't about reputation. I was about principles, the things that replaced ethics in that line of work. Nick decided to do what he did best, play around with the rules. It worked with the law, and it worked with the unspoken rules of the underworld.

"Mr Big, if I may ?" Asked Nick.

"Yes ?"

"You won't like what I will say, but I think in this case, Mr Otterton technically didn't betray you." The shrew gave him an interested look, encouraging him to go on.

"He's under your protection is he not ?" The crime boss nodded. "If his wife did get kidnapped, does that not mean you failed to hold your part of the bargain ?".

Nick looked at all mammals present. All of them, apart from Mr Big were looking at him with wide eyes, most of them thinking he was about to be iced. The shrew had a slight ominous grin.

"In that case, there is no betrayal. You broke the contract first, he could act as he pleased."

Michael tried to scoot discreetly away from the older fox, as if he feared thunder would strike him down and he didn't want to be caught in the blast. The two otters looked alternatively to Nick and to the shrew.

Mr Big leaned his head back and laughed. "Frank, my boy. You're as devious as always. You're proposing to put the blame on me to save this otter ?"  
Nick nodded.

"That's good. That's very good." He turned to the couple. "Do you find this acceptable ?"

They looked at eachother with a puzzled look. "Yes sir, of course."

"Would you accept my protection and partnership again ?"

"Maybe we could revise the condition of our partnership ?" Asked Mrs Otterton with all the diplomacy she could.

"Honey !" Protested the male otter.

"Dear, I'm the one that does the accounting. I think we deserve a little more than we get." She turned back to the shrew with a little hopeful smile.

"Ha ! Your wife knows how to conduct business, Emmitt. I think we can manage something. Koslov, have them escorted home, we'll talk business later. I will have you called next week." And with that he let the otters go.

There was now only Koslov, Mr Big, Nick and Michael in the room. The little vulpine was still wondering what game Frank was playing and how he could talk to the crime-boss like that.

"So Frank, I'd like to know. How did you do it ? How did you discover where was his wife ? And how did you get her and the other prisonners out ?"

Nick gave the kid a glance. There were parts of that story he couldn't talk about in front of him. "Well, right after you called me last week, I knew that Otterton wouldn't betray you for money. He does the job he does, but he's an honest mammal. It's written all over his face. Let's just say I have some... Contacts that could tip me off on some other crime-boss' activities in this city." Of course, Nick was talking about Jack. It was the bunny who had given him the tip on the kidnapped otter. And that was him that had later given Nick the place where she was held prisonner. "After that, all I had to do was go where my contact had directed me, and get her out. Along with the other prisonners."

"You make it sound like it was easy."

"Because it was a bit easy. And I had backup." He said pointing his thumb to the kid. The young fox felt a bit proud at this but tried to hide it and play it cool.

The shrew scratched his chin. "I think I can consider what you owe me paid. You helped a lot today. You too kid, I won't forget it."

"By the way, I thought that you could question, gently, the mammals I brought you. Maybe they saw things that you could use at the hands of their captors. Consider it a little bonus."

The shrew smiled. All in all, Nick had resolved his problem, and given him a lot of ammo against Vlad. For too long had the wolf given him trouble, stepping out of his territory, trying to take control of his, little by little. But not yet. He knew that Nick and the ZPD had stuff to resolve with Lycus before making his move. And having this threat taken care of was necessary too. But contrary to the ZPD, he knew how to do his business discreetly. If he played his cards right, aside from the underworld, no one would learn of it before a long time.

"Do you need Manchas to get you home ?"

"Yes please. I can barely stand."

...

Manchas had driven them home and acted as he didn't recognize Nick. Maybe he really didn't, but it made no difference. The two foxes were now in Nicks living room and the older fox had such a yawn that his jaw almost dislocated.

"Frank ?"

"Yeah ?"

"I was wondering. Since this Otterton guy was providing Nighthowler to Vlad, and since Vlad is one of our main source of plants, did we just... Uhm, how to say that..."

"Did we just screw ourselves over ?"

"Yeah."

Nick scratched his head. "I know that this whole Otterton situation began less than two months ago. And since the first attack happenned since longer than that, I suppose Vlad has other means to acquire those plants. But yes, technically, we just screwed ourselves over a bit."

The kid slumped on the couch. "We're fucked."

Nick shrugged. "Not if our friends never learn of our implication. If you're scared you could sell me to them. You'd secure your place in our little group and be sure to not suffer from the consequences." He said with his signature smirk.

"Don't even joke about this. I can't do that."

"Then let's forget about it. Nothing we can do. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep for a million year."


	28. Ulterior Motives

_**Foxlover91 :** I think I'm going to frame your reviews, they're quite the confidence boosters :)  
I did a bit of foreshadowing on this early on, but it was VERY subtle. As for including Michael, I find that I quite like that character, you can expect to see more of him in the upcoming chapters._

 _I'd like to thank **isteelsolz** for having brought to my attention a **problem with chapter 13 from part 2** , which had been **replaced with chapter 13 from Part 1**. If some of you wanted to read the proper chapter, it's now possible again._

 _And as always, thanks for reading !_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 28 :** Ulterior Motives_

 _Friday the 29th of march 2019_

Nick slowly rose from his slumber with only one goal. A warm large mug of coffee. He half-crawled to the kitchen and noticed that all the mugs were dirty. With a groan, he rinsed one of them and glanced to the kid slumped on the couch. Full of consideration for his temporary flatmate, he rinsed a second one , turned on the coffee machine and left to take a shower while the kitchen appliance was making its thing. Five minutes later, he was back in the kitchen pouring himself a mug. The kid had found its way to the kitchen's counter and his head was resting on it.

"Morning."

Nick looked at his phone. "Afternoon. Coffee ?"

"Yes please."

Three mugs later, they were operational enough to walk. It was a good thing because Nick had some plans for the day.

"Kid, we're going out."

"Where ?"

"Out."

"Couldn't you be more precise ?"

"I could." The trademark grin was in place.

The kid gave him an annoyed glare. Younger mammal were so easy to annoy.

A few minutes later, they were out of the ZUG and Nick led them in a mall. "You're taking me shopping ?"

"Yup."

"I'm not your girlfriend, you sick old fox."

Nick chuckled. "You've spent two weeks in those clothes, and even though you took a couple of showers, you need new ones. I know you kept stuff at the 'den' but I don't you feel like getting them right now. And neither do you, am I wrong ?"

The kid stared at the floor, embarassed.

"Then I think you'll need some stuff. Clothes, and a toothbrush, mainly."

"Frank, I don't have any money."

"Consider it a loan. Long term, zero interest."

The first he bought was sport bag. Then a few t-shirts, a couple of trousers and a jacket. Regular stuff. Nick tested the water with the hawaiian shirts but the kid didn't seem fond of them. Teenagers had no taste. They stopped to eat at a diner and Nick was impress to see the younger fox could eat half his weight in burgers and still walk afterwards. The only two other mammals he knew that could accomplish this feat were Finnick and Clawhauser. In the cheetah's case it was particularly impressive. And disturbing.

...

"Where are we going now ?"

"See a friend I want you to meet."

The kid gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm sure you'll get along well."

A few minute later Nick, was standing in front of a door and knocked. He heard the rustling on the other side and it opened wide, showing Scarlet with a pissed expression.

"What do you want ?"

He simply answered with his trademark grin, showing the kid with a thumb.

There were a few seconds of fleeting silence while the two foxes were taking in what was happening.

"Mike !" Before the smaller vulpine could move she had pulled him in a hug. "It's been so long, you've grown up so much."  
Nick had casually leaned against the wall, grin still perfectly in place. She ended letting her brother go. She turned to Nick. "You- You brought him back, you-"

He stopped her. "Maybe we should get out of the hallway ?" He proposed.

She made them come in and soon they were all sitting in the small appartment, the two sibling on the bed and Nick backward on a chair, elbows resting on the chair back.

"Oh, I can't believe you're back Mike. You're back right ? You're staying ?"

"I-I don't know... I- I didn't even know Frank was bringing me here before I saw you." He turned to Nick. "You're an ass."

"You forgot the suffix, kid." He smirked.

"Frank, I need to know, how did you get him out ?"

Nick scratched his chin. "He's not out." The female fox was a bit taken aback.

"What do you mean by out ?" Asked the young fox.

"This is a bit of a story." Said Nick, before telling how Scarlet had called him to ask him to help the kid and to get him out of the cell. He left out the part where he had threatened the both of them. "So yeah. She wanted me to get you out, but ultimately this is your choice. Besides, I don't think they would let you."

"I don't want to be out." At that, Scarlet frowned. "I'm serious ! We're trying to get the foxes' voice heard. The predators' voice heard ! It's important ! I want to help !"  
She stared at him for a few seconds, trying to gauge him. "I'd tell you that it's dangerous, but I wouldn't listen to me, would you ?" The younger fox shook his head. "I can't say I like the idea of you having this life, I can't see it ending well, but I agree with Lycus' ideas, if not with his methods. Just... Would you try to lay off the drugs ? You're going to kill yourself with those."

The kid chuckled. "Actually, second good news, I'm sober. I got off the dope."

"Seriously ? How ?"

The kid glanced at Nick who shrugged as an answer. "Frank chained me to a cast-iron radiator in his flat for ten days."

Scarlet stood up, bewildered. "He did WHAT !?" The kid tried to calm her by putting a paw on her arm.

"He took good care of me, I promise. He was right to do that, I would have escaped otherwise."

She scowled at Nick. "I don't like the idea of someong keeping my brother prisonner."

Nick lifted his paw apmologetically. "I promise I went easy on the molestations."

At that, she scoffed and the young vulpine snickered.

 _Okay, that one was pretty dark, even for me._

The female fox looked alternatively at her brother and Nick. "So you got my brother back to me, and you got him off of the drugs ? Is there anything else I should know ?"

"Well, Frank didn't just get me off the dope. He kind of saved my life."

"Kind of ?" She asked, lifting a brow. The young vulpine recounted how he had sold some stuff he wasn't supposed to, leaving out the fact that it was part Nighthowler, and how the group had learned of it and aksed Nick to off him. He explained how Nick had talked both their way out of this.

"Wait, hold on. Those guys wanted you dead and you still want to work for them ?"

"I betrayed them, they giving me a second chance."

"They tried to kill you ! You have to quit this, go to the cops if they won't let you ! They could try again !" She had grabbed her brother by the shoulders and was now shaking him.

"Woh, calm down sis ! I know it looks bad, but it's not that horrible !"

"Not that horrible ? How can you say that ! What if you go back and they change their mind ! We need to go to the ZPD and find you protection."

Nick sighed. "I can't let you do that Scarlet." She turned to face Frank.

"And why ? What if they- They..."

Nick came and put a paw on her shoulder. "They won't. He's my responsibility now. It means that if he screws up, I'll go down with him, so believe me, I won't let him screw up. But it also means that I won't let anything happen to him that he doesn't deserve."

"That he doesn't deserve ? And what makes you think they'll respect that ?"

"I got him back to you didn't I ? It's more than my part of the deal. Have a little faith."

"Sis, I think you can trust him. I mean, He didn't have to but he saved my life, he got me off the heroin... I trust him."

She looked back and forth again between them, trying to hold back the tears. "You better keep him out of trouble !"

Nick answered with a smile. "Oh, by the way, this brings us to the bad news. He's staying with you."

"I'm what ?" Asked the vulpine.

"I don't like the idea of some fourteen years old sleeping in a squat or on my couch. And as you said yourself, I'm not your dad. So I'm leaving you with your sister."

"I'm seventeen ! And I don't need to-"

"Mike ?" She interrupted. "Could you stay here, please ? I mean- I'd feel better if you lived here. For a few months at least."

"You- you want me to live here ?" He asked, swallowing hard.

"I've not seen you for two years, all I wanted was for us to be a family. Of course, I want you to be here. I know it's small, and I'll have to buy a duvet and stuff, but if

you want to stay here-"

The kid had to hide his tears and hugged his sister. Nick himself held one back, looking away.

...

"All this had been very moving but I have to go. Stuff to see, people to do. I'm sure you have a lot of things to talk about." He gave a glance to the kid. "And hopefully not about me." The kid nodded, he seemed to have understood not to talk about Mr Big's stuff. He gave them a wave a began to make his way to the door.

"Frank wait !" Said Scarlet as she went after him. He turned around. "Thanks for what you did for us. I still hate the idea of him continuing to work with those guys but still, I owe you." And before he could react she gave him a deep kiss that made him blink few time. "You're not as bad as you want people to believe."

Still in a state of shock, the grey fox left the room and the building, making his way back to his own place.

* * *

 _Saturday the 30th of March 2019_

And it was done. They had reviewed all the video footage, taken all the pictures they could of the mammals they suspected to be linked to Lycus. The file was massive. At least twenty-five mammals, almost all foxes aside from the panther, lion and wolf. Mostly young ones too, they had noticed.

Almost none of them were in their database, which meant they hadn't committed any crimes before, or not registered ones at least. The older ones though, she had found a few things.

They had brought it to chief Bogo, but they knew they couldn't send out an APB yet. They had to be sure they could lead them directly to their chief. And if they tried to arrest some of them, it had to look inconspicuous or logical enough so that it would not alarm him and send him into hiding.

Now they had to wait for Nick to dig his way undercover. But for now, Nick gave no news. Technically, they had a meeting scheduled that week-end so they would see each other and debrief him.

It had been four weeks since she had seen him and she was on edge. Having so little news was unusual and she missed him. At first, she was afraid the time they spent apart would put a strain on their feelings but it wasn't the case, at least not on her side.

Now, she was at the new meeting hide out that had been chosen a few weeks prior and was anxiously waiting for him. If not having seen him for that long was so hard for her, she wondered how he was doing, with the pull of the bond. What's more, Blackfur had accompanied her here but hadn't stayed. In her own words, she wasn't in the right state to provide any psychological support or council. It was understandable, the panda was still going throught the grieving process, and though it didn't show in her work, she was still emotionally withdrawn.

And so, Judy was waiting alone, pacing back and forth on her crutches. She heard a knock on the door and went to open it after having checked who it was.

"You look gorgeous." Was the first thing he said to her. She looked down on her outfit, she was wearing her eternal jean and pink shirt. Well, the jean was new, she had to buy something a size up.

"Huh, thanks ?" She blushed. He swept her off her feet while entering the flat and closed the door with his foot.

"You're beautiful. You're my cutesy wuvely rabbit !"

Judy giggled as his snout buried itself in her neck. "Nick ! Stop it ! Are you drunk ?"

"Am I not allowed to nuzzle my mate ?" He answered in a mischievous tone. "Or maybe I should wait after the debriefing ?"

"Well, agent Savage isn't here, and neither is Blackfur."

He put his bunny back on the floor and help her pick up her crutches.

"Great !"

"What, you don't like Blackfur ?"

"No, she's nice, but I don't like what her presence entails." He answered as they made their way to the liing room. It seemed that place was smaller than the previous one. The couch was a convertible and the only other rooms were the small kitchen and the bathroom. "Oh, and I got the dinner." He said, producing a bag from the gods knew where. Pawsian noodles.

"Are you serious ?"

"I'm wounded Carrots, you know I'm always serious."

"It's not dinner time yet." She said, sitting on the couch.

The fox wiggled his eyebrows. "Maybe we could find something to pass time."

"Good idea, tell me about your month."

"Killjoy. So what did I do those past few days... Oh yes, you know the kid in my group ? The one named Michael ?"

"You mentionned him."

Nick wondered if he should also mention his sister. He chose to do so, keeping secret was a habit that always came back to bite him in the ass. "Alright, this is going to be a long story." He told her how he had met Scarlet a few weeks prior and how they had become friend and how she had made a move on him.

"Did you take her up on her offer ?"

Nick lifted a brow but kept himself from making a snarky remark. "No, I didn't. You're the only female in my life and I like it that way." He gave her a peck on the nose. "Is my cute little bunny jealous ?"

She caught him by the collar.

 _Oh oh, pissed bunny is pissed._

"Yes, I am. You disappear for four weeks and I hear some skank made a move on my fox, I have the right to be jealous." She gave him an angry kiss that left him wanting for more. "You are MY fox."

"Okey dokey." He straightened his clothes, seemed the weeks had been long for her too and the absence of action was making her restless. "But she's not a skank, I mean, she went for me, you must admit she has great taste..."

"Nick." The tone was threatening.

"She's a nice mammal, alright ? And she didn't know I was taken."

"She does now ?"

"Yes."

"Good."

He hugged her. "Look at you, getting all territorial. I might make a fox out of you."

"Hey, don't mock me, what would you do if this Savage guy made a move on me ?"

"I'd call an ambulance for him." He smiled. "But seriously, if some kind of mammal tried to seduce you... Well, yeah, I'd get jealous, but I trust that you'd reject them."

"I'm a little disappointed. The week after we mated, you'd have mauled any mammals that looked at me for too long." She taunted.

"I promise to leave any insistant suitor in a pool of his own blood." He said while showing his fangs in a joking manner.

"Here's my bloodthirsty predator. So about this Skanklet ?"

"You're cute when you're jealous." He chuckled, which earned him an elbow to the ribs. He explained that Michael was her brother and that she asked him to protect the kid. He kept for himself how he had handled it. Then he recounted how he had to save him, the basement episode and the kid getting off the drugs.

"You had a lot of patience with him. Why not simply bring him to a rehab center ?"

"Those aren't really free. The good ones at least. And my way is quicker if a bit brutal."

"You did that before ?"

"Kind of. So while I was keeping the kid at my flat, I received a call from Mr Big and... Judy, are you okay ?"

"There is something you're not telling me."

"Huh ?"

"That 'Kind of' was terribly evasive."

 _You know me too well Carrots._

The fox had a deep sigh. "Okay, I'll have to tell you one day or another. You keep that to yourself alright ? And especially from my mom." He showed the needle scars he had showed the kid a few days prior.

"Holy cheese and crackers. You did drugs ?"

"I spent twenty years in the street Carrots. Of course I did drugs."

"How did you get off ?"

"A lot of swearing and punches in the snout from Finnick. He kept me locked up in his Van for two weeks. At least the kid had access to toilets. I think the worst part was cleaning the vehicle afterwards."

"Oh gods."

"Yeah, so the ZPD has an ex-con, ex-junky in its ranks. I'm not proud of that."

She gave him a peck on the cheek. "You really had it rough. You seemed to not have a care in the world when I met you."

He shrugged. "Not showing the world that it gets to you. I like your philosophy better, even if it's inspired by a cheesy song."

"My philosophy is 'make the world a better place', not 'try everything', which could be a very bad advice when you think of it."

"If I sold drugs, I'd use it as my slogan." He said, using his paws to mime a screen.

"Stop joking and continue your story. You were talking about Mr Big ?"

"Yep, so Mr Big called me..." He told her about the mammals he saved with Mike's help and how he had brought them to the crimeboss.

"Mr Otterton gave Nighthowler bulbs to this Vlad guy ? I thought there were heavy regulations on the stuff since the Nighthowler case !"

"There are, but may I remind you that our good Emmitt Otterton works with the biggest crime boss in the city ? I wouldn't be surprised if he had some sort of underground greenhouse where he grows all sort of stuff."

Judy wondered if everymammal in this city was corrupted one way or another for a few seconds, but decided that she didn't really want to think about that. "And those mammals, why didn't you take them to the police ?"

"If they go to the police, Vlad has great chances to go down, or at least to get into trouble. If that happens, and someone in the group learns it's my fault, I'm screwed, cover or no cover. Whatever he'll do, I trust Mr Big will be discreet, and I think he's capable to give back those mammals to their families and help those who don't have one. He doesn't deal in mammal trafficking, so worst case scenario, he'll simply set them free. I know it wasn't the perfect solution, but it was the only one I had at the time."

"Hey, I'm not blaming you. It's just... I wish you weren't undercover, I know you'd find better solutions for everyone if you didn't have to hide your identity." She had taken his paws. "So what else ?"

"After that, I brought back the kid to his sister. I couldn't keep him at my place. So basically she said thank you and I left."

 _Why does she do those eyes. I can't keep a straight face when she looks at me like that._

"She said 'thank you' and that's it ?"

"Yeah ?"

The bunny was frowning and slowly approaching him. "Are you asking or telling me."

"Telling ?"

"What did she do ?"

"Alright, she kind of... Kissed me."

The frown deepenned. "Did you kiss her back ?"

"Wha- No ! Of course not !"

"Did you enjoy it ?"

"I-"

"Did you ?"

"I- I was too shaken to really think about it..."

"Nick ?"

"Okay, it was kind of nice but she's got nothing on you."

Her paws were shaking and she was still approaching him. He wondered if he should scoot away from her, but it probably wasn't a good idea. Suddenly he was pulled by the collar again.

 _Is she going to punch me this time ?_

This time, the kiss wasn't just angry, it was passionnate. He felt her free paw crawling under his shirt and felt the heat run through his body. "You are MINE ! Next time you see this ska-Scarlet, you better remind her you're taken or I'll find her and do it myself."

"Dully noted. Uhm do you mind-"

She pulled away. "Ooops, sorry for that. I guess I do get a little territorial."

"I was going to say, do you mind doing that again later ? That was hot."

"Me getting aggressive is hot ?" She asked, lifting a brow.

"Very."

"I'll see what I can do." She winked.

"If you need a bit of motivation I can go kiss some female." He joked, which earned him yet another elbowing. "So that's it for my week. What about yours ?"

She recounted what she had done, which meant mostly watching camera footage. She described all the mammals that were suspected of participating in the shootings and gave him the corresponding photos in case he would meet them. The rest, they had already discussed on the telephone two weeks prior.

"With that you'll be able to identify the mammals that work for lycus if you see them."

"Yes. I don't know if I'll meet them though. Do you have something more than their pictures ? Names, adresses, phone numbers, stuff like that ?"

"Not for all of them. We ran those through the database, but almost none of them have ever comitted a crime. They're really young too, so that would explain a lot."

"Yeah, I know the ZPD and courts are ordered to be leniant on minors. Once you have a criminal record, you're pretty much screwed, especially if you're a predator and even more if your're a fox. Don't look at me like that, you know it's true. I see some of the older ones have records though. Skye, what did she do... Public disorder and refusal to comply ? I'm not really surprised. Was there any details on those charges ?"

"No. Not much."

He looked at the files she had compiled. "Of course she would be on Lycus side. See there, she was condemned when Bellwether was mayor. I think it would be interesting to see which judge declared her and the other guilty."

"Wow, wait, what are you getting at ?"

"I'm well placed to know there is a certain number of unfairness going on in this city. I wouldn't be surprised if some judge went a bit 'above and beyond' with his job."

"Nick, I know some mammals are unfairly condemned, it happens. But it would be a hell of a coincidence of all those that are working with Lycus and have a record were victims of unfair trials."

"I hear you. Just bear with me for five minutes okay ? I spoke with the foxes in my group. I know what happenned to those two sheep was horrible, and the shooting thing was... Well, I can't forgive them for what happenned to you. But I think they're not bad mammals, they're not unredeemable. Those are mammals that have been trampled, stepped on and that believe the only way they'll get justice is through violence. I'm not saying that all the foxes that have ever been convicted were so unfairly, but I'm wondering if some of them could have been. And I'm sure all of them have been victims of specism at one point, and I'm not talking like the occasionnal insult, but more like bullying and beatings."

"You know, you almost sound like you are on their side."

"I AM on their side. They're citizens ! I know I'm a cop and that they are criminals, but more than jail, they need help. They need a chance to do something else with their lives. I mean, why would I deserve better and not them ?"

"They've done worse things than you."

"You don't know everything about my past. For all you know, I've killed some mammal before meeting you." She gave him a look of sarcastic disbelief. "Okay, I didn't, but I'm older that them, I know better. Trust me, if I was their age right now, I would probably be working with Lycus too. Hell, I used to dream that someone would avenge us when I was their age." He made a pause, looking for his words. "What I'm saying is, we shouldn't treat them like terrorists. They screwed up, and big. I used to think they should reap what they sow, but I think, this time the city should do more than just punish criminals."

"It's not our place to say how mammals should be judged. We catch culprits, and the justice system does the rest."

"Force answers force, war breeds war, and death only brings death. To break this vicious circle one must do more than act without any thought or doubt."

"Huh ?"

"I read that somewhere. They rebel because the world is against them, because they are criminals, because the world is against them, because... You see where I'm going with this ? I'm not saying they should be forgiven, but when we get them, I think we should try and give them a chance to atone in another way than by sending them to rot in prison."

"I don't disagree with you but it's politics. I'm a cop. Last time I meddled with that stuff, I made things worse for everyone."

"I'm not saying you should do-" Nick felt himself heat up. The matter had an tendency to set him off. He raised a finger and put it back down. "Okay, stop. Time out. I think we shouldn't have this discussion right now."  
"It's a big debate that involves more than just us."

"Yeah."

"But it's a debate the authorities and politics of this city will have to have, and probably soon. I know I can't really understand what you and the other fox went through, but I agree with you that you're treated like crap and it needs to change."

"You see, you're on our side too." He smiled.

"What mate would I be if I wasn't on your side ?" She joked.

"You don't have to be on my side for the sake of it."

"Well, this time, you're right."

"This time ? I'll have you know I'm right most of the time."

The bunny gave a light elbowing in her fox's ribs. "Don't get so full of yourself."

"Would YOU rather get full of myself ?"

"Oh, by the gods, you're horrible !"

"That wasn't a no..." He sang while nuzzling her neck, slowly getting up to her face. She reached his collar and pulled him back.

"Do you think I've forgotten your little stunt with this vixen ?" She said with a scowl. "You'll have to work harder than that if you want a kiss."

"My little stunt ? She assaulted my face with her tongue ! If you're going to play hard to get, I might as well get my physical affection from her."

"You are MY fox." She pulled him with force toward her. "Mine !" She gave him a burning kiss. "Don't you dare look at someone else."

That was a predatory bunny. Nick could feel a chill running down his spine but he couldn't define if it was fear or arousal.

 _Ow, tight pants. Both, definitely both._

His paws were running on his mates body, caressing and squeezing while he nibbled her ears, a thing he had discovered she liked. No, 'like' wasn't the right way to put it. But she certainly did not seem to not like it. "I see you developped cuteness in all the right places..." he said as a clawed paw clasped on her rump.

"I dream about a day when we will have sex and you'll keep this mouth shut."

"But I thought you loved it when I used fangs ?" He then whispered. "And I know you love it when I tell you how cute and beautiful you are." His paw slid slowly down from where they were placed.

"All your compliments have ulterior motives." She cooed.

"You know you love those ulterior motives."

"Do I love them ? Yes, yes I loo-oh sweet cheese and-"

"You love what sweetheart ?" His paw had now completely changed position.

"I l-love you."

He approached his mouth from her ear, whispering. "I knew you couldn't keep the predatory bunny act."

 _Oh, it's on Slick. It's so on._

She gripped his forearm and pushed away his paw. She then made them roll and land on the floor, bunny on top.

 _Rrrriiip_

"Hey my shir-"

A paw clamped his mouth shut. "I think my dream is about to come true." She said while getting rid of her own top. "No talking now." She said while slowly approaching her face from his. "Or I'll show you who the real predator is."

Nick nodded enthousiastically while barely containing a wide grin.

...

Nick wasn't winded, he was exhausted. But he was also wearing a stupid happy grin. One made out for the other. His bunny was buried in his chest fur and had pulled a blanket over them.

"What the hell was that ?"

"That was me far from my full recovery and wearing a leg brace." She grinned while caressing his fur. Nick didn't know bunnies could purr.

"I picture it : 'Here lies Nick, died of multiple pelvic fractures, made the mistake of believing bunnies were preys."

"If that's the price to pay for you to shut up." She said while crawling up to give him a kiss.

"You'd miss me too much."

"I'm sure I'd find another fox with more stamina."

He suddenly grabbed and they rolled again. She was now lying on the floor on her belly, he was above her, snout in her neck, claws running slowly down in her back.

"You're my bunny."

"But am I, though ?" She asked tauntingly, while trying to keep herself from moaning.

The clawed paw went lower.

"Mine."

"You'll have to make me yours." She whispered as the paws were getting more daring.

"Oh ? Should I ?" He whispered before putting his fangs around her neck and continuing his paw's movement. Her body started shivering under her mate's daring caresses.

"Y-yes. Oh, p-please Nick, make me yours."

...

The spooning was one of Judy's favorite thing in her couple. On a physical affection point of view. Coming second after sex. It was like being sheltered in a loving fur coccoon. She could hear the purr coming from her sleeping fox's chest. But right now, she had to go to the bathroom. She had to get rid of the paws that clutched her when she tried to move and crawl a bit to get her crutches. When she came back, the fox was comically claping his jaw to chase the slumber away.

"Hungry ?"

"I could eat a whole bunny."

"You just did that. I was thinking of something more consistant."

"I found you consistant enough." He said, while making his way to her and pinching her waist. It earned him an elbowing.

"Paws away, red devil." She giggled. "You're not having dessert before the main course."

They had huddled themselves in the blanket in front of the TV. One could whatever they wanted about the hideout's comfort, but if it had pawflix, it was as good as any place for them. They were eating their reheated noodles in front of a movie called "Spots Pilgrim VS the World.", that none of them had seen before, and had absolutely no idea of what was happenning. Well they did, the story was rather easy to follow, but the pop-culture-reference-filled universe was so whack that they knew they'd need a second viewing to grasp it all.

"This is based on a comic-book." said Judy, phone in hand after the film had ended. "The author is a guy name Brian Lee O'Malley. Look, here is his photo."

"A cat. Explains the whacky stuff, those guys have a really strange imagination."

"That's a bit specist."

"Only if it's wrong. Well, I'm completely getting those. This movie was crazy, though the ending was a bit..."

"Rushed ?"

"Yeah." He kissed his bunny between the ears. "Have I ever told you that you smell good ?"

"Oh, have you ever ?"

"I might eat you."

"You might ?"

"I mean, I was promised dessert."

She put a finger on his nose. "First of all, I didn't promise anything. And seconds, I can't believe you're up for a third round after those two amazing first rounds."

"Only amazing ? I must be getting old."

"Well, I hope this old engine still has a few miles left in it."

* * *

 _I'd like to apologize for those who hoped the sex scenes would be more graphical. If you wonder why I don't include any, it's for several reason : I don't think it would fit the tone of the story (though I was going to include some at first), and the few that I wrote, and discarded, were beyond cringey._


	29. It Could Be a Trap

_Good news guys, I'm changing the publishing schedule to tree times a week. You can expect updates on monday, wednesday and friday. And If I'm really up for it, there could be a fourth on sunday but really no guarantee there._

 _ **Foxlover91 :** A life can't be crappy from the beginning to the end, sometimes, mammal get what they deserve. In that case, a bit of happiness.  
That bunny is highly emotional, but she still have a working brain ^^ That was the challenge, making her seem jealous without overdoing it.  
What ? A storm soon ? Naaaah._

 _ **Cemsay :** At least, yeah. But what would they have at best ?_

 _ **Robert Escher :** Yeah, but I wanted to make my own lemonade... Technically, I am, you're just not tasting any of it (and trust me, you don't want to...)  
And thanks for the compliment :)  
_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 29 :** It Could Be a Trap_

 _Friday the 31th of March 2019_

It's with a fleeting head that Nick went back to his flat that sunday. He felt sore, he felt bruised, but most of all, he felt happy. He had to try and hide his grin on the ZUG, because he knew he wouldn't be able to hide his fangs. It was ironically funny, those week ends were supposed to relieve his stress and rest him, it had achieved none of that. Well, at least it had been good stress. Now he needed a shower and good day and night sleep. And food. Something to replace the calories he had spent in the last twenty-four hours.

* * *

 _Monday the 1st of April 2019_

"You seem awfully merry." The kid was taking the ZUG with him to a meet-up point Skye had given them that morning.

"Am I ? I guess I am." The fleeting-head sensation had followed the vulpine through his sleep, and he was determined to hold on to it as long as he could.

"Interesting week-end ?"

"Yes but you're waaaaay too young to hear about that stuff." Answered the grey fox with a smirk. "How about you, how is it to stay with your sister ?"

"Cramped, a bit. But we didn't spend a lot of time there. She took me outside, we went to a restaurant and to the park. I don't think she spends a lot of time at her flat."

Nick gave him an interested look so the kid kept talking. "She talked me more about her life. She's a waitress in a bar and she sings there. I think it's cool, she always wanted to be a singer. I think she actually likes what she does, I thought she would want more than just..."

"Just singing in a bar for drunkard's ears ?"

"Yeah. Anyway, she told me about her crush on you, even though it was pretty much obvious from the..."  
Nick was a bit embarassed but he didn't let it show. He knew they had flirted and was partly at fault for having responded to her flirt, but aside from the kiss, it wasn't something he thought about much.

"She told me you were taken and I must say, until today and your stupid face, I didn't think it was true."

Nick shrugged, there was really nothing he could do about Scarlet and her crush on him. The most he could do was leave her some space until she got over it.  
They finally arrived to the place in the far north-east of Tundratown at the edge of the city. Though it was still technically Tundratown, it wasn't that cold, they were beyond the 'frost-factories', the places that created the wind and snow for the whole district. Nick wasn't really well versed on how it worked but he knew it had something to do with the hot winds coming up from sahara square travelling north and keeping the cold wind down under. The whole thing was a scientific marvel and Nick sometimes wondered if the city's money wouldn't be of better use elsewhere. But then again, it was a show of what mammals could achieve when they stood together.

Another text from Skye directed them to a warehouse. Osman greeted them.

"Frank, Mike how are- erm." The fox seemed he couldn't maintain eye contact with any of them. Nick patted his shoulder.

"Seems you two need to talk a bit. I'm going in." And with that, Nick went through the front door.

Osman and Michael were left alone outside, an awkward silence growing. The older fox took an inspiration and closed his eyes before speaking.

"I'm sorry Mike. We've acted like assholes to you."

"Well, I stole and sold stuff. And I kind of put us all in danger, so..."

"Yeah, but you're a kid ! I mean, you're younger, and young foxes do stupid stuff. I mean I would know, I was one."

"I think that to Frank, we all are." Smiled the younger fox.

"Stupid or young ?"

"Both."

To be honest he had few memories from what happenned, he remembered that he had been beaten up and restrained by Sean, and that he had answered questions, but that was all. He knew that they were supposed to execute him, but he didn't remember much of them discussing it or of Nick's arrival.

"Yeah, well, from what it's worth, I'm sorry. I should have stood up for you, I've been an asshole. I'm glad you're back."

Michael had to look away, having people apologize to him and make him feel wanted was a new feeling, and he still had trouble with it. "It's all right. And it got Frank to get me off the dope, so it's more like a win than a lose."

"You're off the- That's great ! How's the paw ?"

Michael looked at the paw where his claws had been torn out. "It's healing, it's not really painful anymore."

"Good. That's good. You should go see Skye, I think she wants to apologize too, she thinks it's all her fault. And to be honest I think it partly is. I mean it's our fault. But she's the boss... And we were all... I can't even understand why we were going to do this. At least Frank stopped us... Lucas is not here but he's sorry too. Steer clear from Sean though. He was really pissed when Frank left with you."

The conversation ended there and they entered, taking him to the same view Nick had faced a few minutes prior.

...

Nick entered the warehouse, looking around. The inside had been repurposed as a mechanic garage. A half-dozen vans in different states were being repaired, assembled and painted. Mammals, all foxes it seemed, were going around with car parts, trying to figure out what was going where. It was a chaotic mess. He looked around and found Skye and two other foxes he didn' know arguing about something. As he approached he could get bits of the conversation.

"-and she just left, we just can't work like this !"

"It's a good thing she left us her plans and notes but none of us are real mechanics. And we're completely disorganised, we have too much on our plate and our people are just running around not knowing what they're doing !"

"Okay, I get that, I really do. We must set up a meeting and get this show running more properly."

Nick casually approached the mammals with a polite mask on.

"Seems like one of your guys are here. We'll talk about this later, Skye." Said one of them. The other nodded and they both left.

Skye turned around to face Nick. It seemed she had trouble maintaining her composure, probably a side effect of the event from a couple of weeks prior.

"Hi, how are you doing Frank ?"

"Great, I'm doing great. How are you ?"

"I'm-I... I think I owe you an apology."

Nick lifted a brow, waiting for her to say more.

"I put you in a shitty position and I ask- no, ordered you to do something that was wrong even though that's what our boss had ordered."

Nick scratched his ear.

"Did he personnally ordered it or.. ?"

The arctic fox sighed. "Kind of. Through mails. I was told that any form of betrayal was to be punished like that. And also to set an example, to record the thing. Oh gods, it's so fucked up, I should have kept this under wraps and talked with Mike myself. I kind of dumped that on you because, well..."

"Because I'm older and therefore more likely to have performed this kind of task before ?" Nick showed the corner of a grin.

"Yeah..."

"You would be right." He added a bit of teeth in his slight grin to add some weight to his lie. The imperceptible shudder she gave showed the punch had landed. "But I'm not doing that anymore. I accept your apology. I take it you're not really used to lead mammals ?"

"Not yet."

The grey fox scratched his chin. "Say, Skye, can I ask you a bit of a personnal question ?"

"I can't promise to give an answer."

"Fair enough. Why do you follow Lycus ?"

"Same as the other I suppose. Lycus is the only one to seem to give a damn about us. I'm not talking about predators but us foxes. Even the other predators look down on us. Whatever I tried to do, studies, carreer... Wherever I went, I was always looked down on upon, even when I was the best."

"The best at what ?"

"I studied to become a social worker. Well I tried, the merit-based grants always went under my snout even with the best grades. It doesn't take a PhD to understand why." She said, opening her arms showing herself. "Fox."

"Yeah, we can't very well prove ourselves if no one gives us the chance to do so."

"Exactly. So now, it's going to blow up in their faces."

Nick chuckled. "It's going to be so much fun. Going back to the apology, I think you owe it more to Michael."

"Yeah, I do. Do you think he's going to accept it ?"

 _He'd be willing to jump off a bridge just for a sense of belonging. Of course he will._

"Only one way to find out." Nick answered turning around as, right on cue, Michael and Osman entered the premises.

Skye was really nervous and if she was doing a really good job keeping a front up, Nick could see that she was on the verge of cracking. Realizing how big a mistake they made tended to do that to mammals. Osman had gone up to Nick.

"Hey Frank. I want to say I'm sor-"

"Don't apologize to me. It wasn't your choice nor your order. None of you wanted that to happen. Well apart for Sean."

"Yeah. This guy is a complete psycho." Osman whispered.

"On another matter, what's happenning here ? An how are things going ?"

"We're preparing another raid. Skye will want to brief you and Mike later about what it is. And on how things are going... Not that well. Our chief mechanic just quit on us, or more like disappeared."

"No shit ? He left ?"

"She. A melanistic ocelot. I'm usually not fond of felines but let me tell you this one..." He gave as silent whistle. "Anyway, I know she wasn't very implicated in our project, so I wouldn't be surprised if she just left."

Nick had been able to hide his surprised expression. "How did she call herself ?"

"Selina, but everyone called her Sel."

Nick scoffed. This was her. It was one of the three mammals he had asked Finnick to find for him weeks ago. To be honest, Nick had completely forgotten about it, but he knew that if Fin hadn't contacted him about that, it was simply because he had found nothing. If only he could have contacted Selina before, maybe she could have helped him dig around.

"So we can't fix the vans ?"

"Well, we can, she left her notes and stuff, but she was also coordinating everything, and since the other leaders can be a bit... Hard to work with, we're having trouble getting back on track. Plus the fact that none of them agree on how to use the notes she left."

"And when are we supposed to finish all this ?"

"The end of the week."

"Are you fucking serious ? Okay, I'm going to need to talk with Skye." He left Osman in place and went straight to the arctic fox.  
She had finished talking with Michael a few seconds ago and had gone back to reviewing notes on a workbench. "Skye ?"

"Sorry Frank, I don't really have time right now. This is all falling apart."

"Skye, who leads this thing ?"

"Well it mostly leads itself..." She said, while continuing trudging in the piles of paper. "Shit, why isn't any of this labelized ?"

"Skye, put this down and breathe for five seconds."

"I can't, I don't have time right now. We've lost our only real mechanic and I have to find a way to do without her. Unless you know someone who can replace her."  
Nick's brows furrowed. There was no way he could implicate Finnick in this, but himself could improvise reparations. He had learnt countless of things with the fennec, including how to fix a van with nothing more than tape and a bit of ingeniosity. Truth was, he could simply do nothing and let this operation sabotage itself, but the beginning of a plan was forming and the best course of action was actually that all this happenned. He simply had to check where it was going first.

"All this is an operation to capture this 'Doug' guy, right ?"

"You're perceptive."

 _Jackpot_.

"Well, I've missed a lot of things that happenned in the city those last few years, so I've tried to do my homework. You know, I think the first thing you should do is to coordinate everyone. Those foxes running around are not doing anything good."

"Well, I'd try, but I'm not a mechanic, and you could think it's not important, but it's the main reason why there is no main leader right now. Every time someone tries to step up, they get shot down on account of not really knowing what they're doing. Which has been true every time."

Nick lifted a brow. "You want a professional mechanic ?" The mischievous grin appeared. "I'll give you one."

The fox quickly went away to look around the place. Skye shrugged, she had to find a way to organize this and had no time to lose to run after this old fox.

A few minutes later she heard a voice at her side.

"Hey lil' lady. A' heard ya needed a chief mechanic."

"What ? Yeah, I do but who are- Wait, Frank ? Is that you ?"

"Yup, it's me Frank, chief mechanic a yo'service." The fox had found a green overall and adorned it with black oil stains and a few tools.

"What are you doing ?"

"Well, the others don't know me I suppose, so I'm going to be your head mechanic and do a bit of management."

"Do you have any background as a mechanic ?"

"Maybe I picked up a few things along the way. And I'm older than they are, so there is the 'respect for the elder' factoring in."

"Are you going to use this stupid fake accent as well ?"

"You hurt me Skye, my accent was perfect. But no, I wouldn't be able to keep it up at all time." The fox took a few steps to face the workbench and looked at the pile of paper. Selina had done some good work. It was even more fun when you took into account that what the feline knew of the job was what she too had picked up from Finnick. Her true passion lied elsewhere, but it was no time to reminisce, he had to prove himself. All he had to do was find something he was sure was in this repurposed warehouse. There it was, plans for an old Cervy van from the seventies. One Finnick would have called a shag-mobile. Very similar to the fennec's too.

"That'll do nicely. Skye, tell me this one's engine still need fixing."

"They all do."

"Great. Let's go impress some foxes then."

Skye followed him. "Do you really think you can fix it ? Most of them had to be totally disassembled to clean them up, and had parts that needed changing."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He lied with a perfect mask of confidence while making his way to the van he had chosen. A large brown fox was trying to fit different pieces on an engine hanged to a pair of chains above the hood, where Nick was sure they weren't supposed to fit.

"Hey champ', what's your name ?"

"William, but they call me Bill." The large fox detailed Nick from head to toe. "You a mechanic ?"

"I like to think so. Can I take a look ?"

"Shure, I been stuck on this engine for two hours naw. I'd 'preciate the help."

Nick looked at the engine and compared it to the mental notes he had from the diagram.

"Ooookay, two things champ. One, your engine is upside down, so you'll have a fun time lowering it in place. Two, this isn't even the right engine for this van. The one you want is two vans away, over there." He said, pointing to his right.

"You shure ?"

"As sure as my name is Frank. I'll get a few more paws to-"

"Harumph !" the large brown fox had lifted the heavy engine on his shoulder and carried it, switched it with the right engine and came back to hang it on the chains.

"-Or that works too. Give me the wrench over there will you ?."

"Shure boss."

Nick went to work on the engine. Good thing most parts had already been cleaned up, since it wasn't the fun part of the job. "So this goes there – this fits... No – What sort of moron cleans a part like that ? - Oh shit, this valve has been put back in by a blind fox..." Grumbling and mumbling, Nick worked the hours away on the engine. He felt a bit like Finnick, cursing like he did when working on his own machine. When he stopped, not only it was in a relative working state, but a small crowd had gathered to look at him work. He casually turned to them while wiping the grease off his paws. "Oh, I didn't know I had an audience !" He said, which was a complete lie. He had been careful to work as loud as he could to attract attention.

One of the foxes that seemed to be a leader stepped in front of the crowd. "I didn't know we had a new mechanic."

"Well, I'm simply part of Skye's team. I never thought my studies in this field would come in handy. I had the understanding that those vans should be repaired by the end of the week ?"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

Nick scratched his chin. "I must say that it's not something I'd be able to do on my own, but if everyone lends a paw, I'm sure we could do it. I mean, from what've counted, we have at least twenty-five pairs of paws, I think it's doable."

"Well, we would all appreciate it if you could explain to us how to fix all this and help us coordinate our efforts."

"I'm not a leader, nor a very good teacher, but I think with the help of my boss," He said by pointing at Skye. "we could put some kind of plan in place."

"If you truly know what you are doing, it's fine by me. I'm Oswald, by the way." He presented himself, extending a paw.

"Frank. My paws are dirty."

"Don't worry, so are mine." The leader answered, shaking Nick's paw.

A few minutes later Nick and Skye were exchanging ideas on the best way to organize the mammals present. Skye interrupted it. "You know, the more I see you talk in public, or work, the more I'm wondering why I'm your chief and not the other way around."

Nick's head shot up, he lifted a brow. "You think I'd be a better leader than you are ?"

"Yeah. I pretty much screwed up with Mike, and was going to have him killed instead of helped. That wasn't how a leader should act."

"You're young, you have time to learn."

"I shouldn't be learning, I should be leading." She sighed. Obviously, she felt guilty about what happened. It was a good thing, it showed that she cared. Nick put away the pen he was using to write and put his paws on his thighs to straighten up his back.

"Well, you fucked up. It happens. It could have had dire consequences but it didn't. I won't say that you're being too hard on yourself because you aren't. It's a quality in your position. But if you're proposing to step down in my favor, I won't accept."

"I'm not stepping down Frank. I'm simply a bit lost."

"Tell me, when you discovered Mike's deed, when you decided to do what you had to do, what was your first thought ?"

Skye put on a reflective expression. "I... I thought it was wrong, but it was the directive I was given..."

Nick leaned forward. "But your guts told you it wasn't the right solution."

"They did, yes."

"So there you have it. You have good gut-feelings. Essentials to be a good leader." He smiled.

"Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not. You have instinct. Listen to them. Instincts are nothing more than your subconscious trying to tell you how to not fuck up."  
Soon, they had given birth to a new pile of papers. Schedules, list of names and chores in priority order. Skye had a knack for organization, more than Nick did in any case.

"I think, we're done here. You really didn't need my help on this, do you do that a lot ?"

Skye looked at the pile of papers. She was making a few adjustment here and there. "I studied management, but I never found any work in the field, being a fox and all. This, I had to do it a bit with our group but not on this scale. But it's really easy, it works like a big logical puzzle."

Nick sat back on his chair. It was kind of depressing to see all those young foxes having completely given up on a normal life because of the specism. But he was past the point where he would consider it an excuse. An explanation sure, but just because one had a bad life, it didn't give them the right to make it rough for others. Rough being an understatement, after all, mammals had died. Still, he couldn't help but feel for all those predators.

* * *

Judy was facing her computer, like any other day. Until that point, everything had been usual enough. Waking up, changing from the rigid cast to the articulate one, taking her breakfast, going to the precinct with Blackfur, greeting Clawhauser and Wolford, drinking another decaf and checking her e-mails. Talking with them, she had heard Clawhauser was also the one Bogo had put in charge of supervising the Doug's witness protection program.

And then, she had heard the notification sound on her phone and looked at the text she had just received. A text that read 'Frank is Nick. Meet me at 86 Delta Street in Sahara Square tomorrow at 10PM. No cops.'

She had barely kept herself from gasping and had slowly put down the phone like she was handling an explosive. Now she was staring at her computer screen, her brain fired up at full speed.

She had to go. She simply had to. Whoever knew of Nick's identity could blow up his cover in a heartbeat. She looked at her phone again. Masked number, and if the one that had sent the text was anything else than half a moron, the phone they used was already at the bottom of canal district.  
Now she had to seriously consider the fact that it could be a trap. Hell, it was most likely a trap. But Nick's cover, no, Nick's life was at stake, and in her place he would've gone. Not that she needed this kind of motivation to risk her life for her fox.

So she was going, no sense arguing with herself.

Should she warn Nick ? No. If she did, he would find her and follow her to the rendez-vous point, and he was still a cop. But of course, Judy couldn't go alone, she needed back up. Someone reliable and strong... She could ask Mr Big to send her a couple of goons, but she didn't really want to owe him anything, and even if he wouldn't consider it a favor, she didn't like the idea of implicating the mafia.

So what else did she have ? Well, there were only two mammals she knew that cared about Nick as much as she did, and she knew that only one of them could handle himself in a tussle, or so Nick had told her. She'd have to ask Finnick's help.

And so, one of the slowest day of her life began. Since they had finished analyzing the video records, what she had to do now was to compile every picture they had in one file an class them. Wolford and Blackfur were called as back up for some intervention, a group of pred-haters attacking a peace manifestation in the center of the city. Since the murder of the two sheeps, those kinds of manifestations had mutliplied, and having officers there to supervise them was a challenge. Even more so when some weren't officially planned with the mayor's office.

So on top of being a slow day she didn't really have anyone to talk too in the meantime. Not that it was a bad thing, Blackfur would have notice how stressed Judy was, and the bunny would have slipped up in the end.

At least, at the end of the day, the file was almost complete. She had been able to forget about the text for most of the day. Well, not forget, but she had been able to stop it from impeding on her work.

And then her phone rang.

The bunny almost jumped from her seat, looking at the device. Contrary to what she had feared, it wasn't from an unknown caller but from Nick, which was almost worst in this specific situation.

"Judy speaking." She answered.

"Hey, my preferred bunny, how was your day ?"

"It was great ? How was yours ? I suppose this isn't a courtesy call ?"

"I'm good. It's true, it isn't. I've spent my day working on vehicles. Vans. A half-dozen of them. The goal is to kidnap Doug."

"Oh crap. We have to stop them !"

"We have to, yes. But I have a better plan than barging in and arresting everyone. We'll have to set up something with the chief and agent Savage. If we play it the right way, we could end up getting to Lycus, but I'll need a bit of time to prepare."

"How-er- What do you need to prepare ?"

"A really solid plan for starters. I just wanted you to know that I think things are about to move really fast. Can you please tell that to the chief too ? We'll need to find a way to coordinate everyone, I think." The bunny didn't respond for a few seconds. "Hello ? Still there ? Is everything alright ?"  
Judy was wondering if she should tell Nick that some mammal knew of his cover, but had decided against before Nick could derail her train of thought. "Huh ? Yeh, I'm alright. Simply a bit worried about all this. I don't know how they'll kidnap Doug though. He'll be transferred to a secured location at a random date, to avoid him getting harmed during his trip. And the secured location is even more secret so..."

"Yeah, I thought about that too. The whole principle of witness protection is hiding the concerned mammal. In any case, be sure that as soon as I'll learn more, you'll hear about it."

"Great ! Thanks for calling."

"You're welcome. I love you Carrots."

"I love you."

And he hung up. So first, someone had learnt of his cover and now Doug was in danger. Well, in relative danger, there was no way Lycus knew when he'd get out or where to he'd be taken. Was it ?


	30. The Old Crew

_**Foxlover91 :** Yeah, I tried to make it obvious before they didn't like what they were doing. An apology was in order._  
 _As for that trap... You'll have to read this chapter._

 _Oh, and By the way, last chapter, Part 2 became twice the size of Part 1. Yes, I'm fucking proud of myself._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 30 :** The Old Crew_

 _Tuesday the 2nd of April 2019_

She was sitting on a van's seat. The fennec next to her was silent. First she thought he was nervous, but nothing in his attitude gave it away. Finnick simply wasn't the chatty type. They parked near the rendez-vous point and the fennec looked outside his left window.

"So let me summarize dis one last time. We're goin' to meet someone who knows Nick's cover ID, alone, without any police officers-"

"I'm a police officer."

"Without any non-disabled police officer, and no one knows where we are ?"

"I've scheduled at mail to be sent to Nick, Blackfur and the chief in one hour just in case. I'm not that stupid."

"At least tell me yo' armed."

She opened her vest and showed a concealed tranq-gun.

"Oh, great. Tranq gun. Ah' feel safer now." He hopped in the back of his van and came back with his baseball bat. "We're set 'den. Le's go."

He helped her get out of the van and they made their way to the abandonned warehouse. The inside was dark and dusty. Finnick took out his phone and used it as a flashlight, not that he really needed it but he knew Judy didn't possess night vision. But with the light in hand, he had now trouble to see anything in the dark.

"H'lo. Anybody 'dere ?"

Their steps echoed in the large empty building, and dust moved and flew as they went forth.

A voice came from the shadow in front of them. "Hello officer, hello little fox." It was a female voice, it was like silk, half-seducing, half-threatening.

Intinctively, the fennec put himself in front of Judy, letting go fo the back and taking out a gun way too big for his body size. "Show yo'self."

"You seem nervous Fin. Are you scared ?" How did she know his name ? The voice came from the left now, and he turned in its direction. Judy wasn't sure she was comfortable having a civilian carrying a gun. Then again, if it was a trap, she liked the idea of him being able to defend himself.

"I ain't scared. I ain't the one hiding in the dark."

"Still the provocative one I see. You've not changed much."

"Who are you ?" Judy asked. "How do you know him ?"

"Maybe he knows me too ?" The voice had moved to their right, the fennec turned in its direction.

A short silence followed, broken by another female voice, but way more deep. "Stop toying with them. Are they alone ?" It came from the other end of the warehouse.

"Yes, they are."

A loud clanking noise was heard, as well as a low electric buzzing. The warehouse's lights turned on one after the other. The fennec had turned to where the new voice had come from, his vision slowly adapting to the bright light.

A mammal larger than Judy slowly approached them from the front. It had a black fur on most of its body except for the top of its head which was white. Judy recognized her as a honey badger.

"Hi Fin."

"Honey ? That you ?"

"It's me. I see officer Hopps has found some back up."

The fennec put back the gun in its hiding place. "Yeah, she did. Judy, meet Honey Badger. Honey, meet Judy Hopps."

"I already knew her name, but it's nice to meet you in person Judy." The bunny extended a paw but the badger didn't shake it.

"Don't formalize yo'self Judy, She ain't much into physical contact."

"Oh. Okay. Wait, your name is Honey Badger ? And you are a honey badger." The only answer she got from the mustelid was a little smile.

"It ain't her real name, Judy." Judy glanced at the fennec. "Don't look at me like 'dat. I don't know her real name either."

The silky purring voice was back, coming right from behind Judy which almost made her jump. "Aren't you going to introduce me too ?" The fennex looked behind his shoulder and recognized the black feline who was slowly walking around them to place herself next to the badger. Now that Judy could see her, she recognized her as an ocelot, but entirely black. Fur and eyes.

"Judy, meet Selina. Selina, meet Judy."

Judy finally closed her mouth that hanged slightly open before opening it again to ask : "You know those mammals ?"

"Do I know them ? We worked togethah wid' Nick years ago. Our partnerships lasted what ? Five, six years ? Until we went to a less illegal business."

"It's strange that Nick never talked to me about them." Frowned the bunny.

"Not really." interveined the Badger. "We've not seen him, or more precisely he hasn't seen us for more than five years. Let's just say we're working way deeper in illegal territories now than before."

"I know how you didn't really approve of the way we earned our money, but we were saints compared to what those two did for a living." Added the small vulpine.  
It seemed the ocelot couldn't speak without this strange purr. Judy thought she was almost flirty. "It's not a really nice way to put it. We just do work that no other mammal can."

"Anyway, we've not come here to reminisce. We're here because we have something you may find interesting." The badger had spoken and given a tablet computer to the ocelot who approached Judy and Finnick to show it to them. She pressed play on a video.

First it was black, then slowly appeared what Judy recognized as Lycus' silhouette. "Hello citizen of Zootopia. I have two announcements to make. First, we have captured Doug Ramses, Bellwether's accomplice, the one that refined the Nighthowler drug for her. He had been liberated on parole and put under witness protection. The reason why he got freed this soon, is because of all the information he gave to the ZPD in the nighthowler case... It seems the ZPD and city's official can easily forgive the actions of a criminal. But we don't. He committed a sin toward us predators, and he must pay for it. If the authorities won't give us justice we will take it ourselves."

The camera panned left and showed a sheep tied to a chair. His face was swelling and his fur caked in blood. Judy had a hard time recognizing Doug under all his wounds. But it was logical, since it couldn't be Doug. He was still safe in his own cell in Zootopia's prison. What was happening ?

"I think it's also time that I revealed my true identity." The silhouette stepped into the light. It was a red fox, and the bunny had to blink and rub her eyes. He was Nick's exact copy. "My name is Alexander Carius Wilde, son of John Lycus Wilde and half brother of Nicholas Piberius Wilde. My father worked himself to death because this city wouldn't give him a chance, and my brother was hurt trying to stop me from bringing the pred-haters to justice. And today, in the name of all those of us who have been stepped on, our true crusade is beginning." The fox pulled out a gun from his vest and unceremoniously shot the sheep in the head twice. His head jerked to the side, a splatter of blood and bone spraying the floor and wall. And then, the video ended.

Judy's face was a mix of surprise and disbelief. "What the hell ?"

"So that where he was." Said Finnick. Judy turned to him.

"Where was who ?"

"Nick asked me to find the old crew. Honey and Sel, but I couldn't find them. And this guy, I talked to you about him, the Raving One."

"His real name is Alexander Vulpes by the way. I found his birth certificate, and a bunch of other paper." She gave them a briefcase that Judy opened. It was choke-full of official papers.

"How- Why do you have those ? Wait no. This is completely incomprehensible. Why are you giving us these informations ? What do you want from us ? What the hell is all this ?"

The badger sighed. "It's a bit of a long story so I'll try to keep it short. I'm a hacker, tech expert and whatever else you want me to be as long as I'm paid well and the job is computer related. Sel is... Can I tell her ?"

"I'll do it myself." Answered the feline. "I'm a thief. And a merc. And sometimes a hired blade. Like Honey, I'm whatever you want me to be as long as it includes stealth. And I dabble in mechanic too. Something Finnick taught me. Among other things." She winked, which made the small fennec glad it was dark enough so that his blush wasn't showing. She opened her arms in an ironical dramatic pose. "We are the bad guys."

"We are the ones the bad guys hire, to do what they can't do themselves. Anyway, two months back, I was hired to hack into a prison camera system, amongts other things. I will not tell you how I did that, but I was successful."

"You're the reason why we couldn't identify the culprits !"

"Yep. But I never got the lost footage, it was physically destroyed, otherwise I'd give it to you too. Anyway, I was partially responsible for the ZNN hacking and a bunch of other stuff related to Lycus. I worked with Sel to clean our prints... And I'm not going to give you more details on that, all you need for your investigation is in the tablet and briefcase. So to get back on topic : we're helping you because it helps us. When we began working for them, there was no name, no face and no Lycus. Sel helped them put the first raid and prison kidnapping into motion-"

"The vans and shootings weren't my idea though, a bit too noisy for me. I only supervised the vehicles' preparation." Interveined the female ocelot.

"-And I did a large part of the hacking and 'tech stuff'. Now, there is a Lycus, and they had 'goal'. Get even with the pred-haters. They're going to wreck all the progress toward peace between predators and preys that has been made in the last months and send it back fifty years. And I think all this runs deeper than this Lycus. He's not the brain, he's just a face. I know Alexander, he's not smart enough for all this. So if you're wondering why I'm giving you this, it's because I need you to do everything you can to stop it. The lives of all predators of Zootopia rely on you stopping them from accomplishing whatever their plan is. On my side, I'll do everything I can to keep this video from reaching the public."

Judy's brow furrowed. This was beyong bad. This was a disaster waiting to happen. If they let Lycus capture Doug, it could blow up in their faces, but if it let Nick approach him, it could put an end to this.

"You need to come with us and testify."

"Are you serious ?" The badger chuckled. "You are serious. I'm not coming to testify. There is a reason why neither of my friends know my name."

"She's paranoid." Cut Selina with a smile.

"Yeah that too. But I'm not in the system. I do no exist, and I intend to keep it that way. If you wonder why, just ask your good friend Jack why I'm into hiding, and why I'm going right back as soon as I'm out of there. Oh, you won't get an answer, but you'll get a frown and maybe a growl."  
Judy had to keep her jaw to fall again. Finnick stared at the badger waiting for more but she shook her head. The fennec shrugged, he was used to her keeping secrets.

"We're going now. Please don't try to follow us." The badger and ocelot waved and left. A loud clanking noise was heard again and the lights went out.

"Okay, that was unexpected." Chuckled the fennec.

They made their way back to the fennec's van in silence. Given the size of the briefcase, she'd need at least two days going through all the paper. And she was sure the tablet contained at least as much data. But this would be nothing next to what she'd have to endure in the morning. She'd have to explain to chief Bogo where the new elements came from, and tell him she went to a secret rendez-vous with someone who knew of Nick cover, without back up and with a civilian.  
She didn't look forward to that at all.

* * *

 _Wednesday the 3rd of April 2019_

Judy had waited all day for the meeting she had set up with Nick and the chief. She could have gone and talked to the buffalo about her evening sooner but she didn't want to have to repeat everything to Nick a second time. And having him at the other end of the line, she hoped it would keep the chief from shouting at her. Or at least deter him just a bit. In any case, she was making her way to the chief's office while Blackfur was carrying the stuff she had to show him.

The panda knocked on the door and the chief let them in. They sat on the chairs near his desk and he set up the connection with Nick.

His face appeared on the chief's computer screen.

"Hi guys, how are you all doing ?"

"Hi Nick, we're fine, how are you ?"

"I'm great ! So, what was it that was so important ?"

"Well, I think it's better to show you." She took out the tablet and set it up in such a way that Nick could see through th chief's webcam. "Do you see the screen ?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

As the video played, Judy could see the change in the audience expression. The chief constant stern expression got slightly sterner, Nick's face closed and Blackfur eyes widened. When it ended, the chief was the first to talk.

"I didn't know you had a brother officer Wilde." His tone seemed srious and matter of fact, but the coner of sarcatstic grin showed on his face.

"I don't. This is the guy I talked about that looks exactly like me. We called him the Raving One when we worked together. Never knew his real name though. I'm not even sure he knew it himself."

"According to this document." The bunny said while showing the birth certificate. "His real name is Alexander Vulpes."

The chief looked at the paper. "This is the original ! Where did you get this ? Where did you get all this officer Hopps ?"  
The bunny sighed. "Last evening, I said to officer Blackfur that I was going to a dinner with a friend, with Finnick. Well, I truly was with him, but we went to meet mammals that knew of Nick's cover."

"What ?" The chief had let his large fist collide with his desk and made everyone jump. "Even if I had the whole week, I couldn't begin to list all the reasons why it was a stupid idea ! Why didn't you tell me ? Why didn't you bring officer Blackfur with you instead of involving a civilian ?"

"They had said no cops."

The chief pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly exhaling. "One day, your luck will run out. For now, you're lucky to not be fit for parking duty."

"I'm sorry chief."

Nick cut in. "The Ravi- Alexander is trying to pose as my brother for whatever reason, I'll just ask him why when I'll meet him. But why kill a fake Doug ? It doesn't make sense."

"I've thought about it. It does if they want to make him work on a new nighthowler serum. If their goal is to punish the pred-haters, maybe they want to use it against them. Or tailor it only for prey."

"Yeah, well knowing Alexander, he's not bright enough for this kind of scheme. There is someone above him pulling his strings."

"That's what the one that gave me all this data thought."

The chief gave her an interested look. "And who was it that gave you all this by the way ?"

"She calls herself Honey Badger. And yes she's a honey badger. And no, it's not her real name."

Nick lifted a brow. "Did she seem allergic to physical contact ?"

"Do you know her ?" asked the chief.

"We worked together." The fox simply answered.

"She was accompanied by an ocelot named Selina."

"So that's where she is. She's the one I'm replacing as amechanic." The chief gave him an interrogative look. "Long story. I'll tell you later. Judy, you said that Finnick knows of all this ?"

"He saw the video."

The vulpine scratched his chin. "Alright. Chief, can I ask you a favor ? If this thing comes out, could you send a couple of officers to protect my mother ? She's not mentionned in the video so I suppose they're going to play the 'second hidden family' card, but I don't want any danger coming her way."

"Of course officer Wilde. But how do you know this fox and you aren't related ?" As always, the chief didn't use gloves. But every mammal present knew the was no malice under the question. It was a legitimate one and the fox didn't take any offense. The fox chuckled.

"I asked myself a couple of time. We ended actually doing bloodtests and if we're related we're really distant cousins. At best."

"You're taking this rather well." Remarked the bunny.

The fox shrugged. "I'm a little pissed off that they're trying to involve my family, but if anything, I'm curious to know what they expect to gain from this."  
The chief turned to Judy. "Officer Hopps, you and your partners are in charge of going through those files. If you need help computer wise, make it go through me before contacting the forensic, is that clear ?"

"Yes sir."

"Perfect, if you could have done that by the end of the week, that would be great."  
Nick cut in. "By the way, since I've got you all here, I'd like to talk to you about Lycus' group next action. Since we're going to kidnap Doug Ramses, I've put together a plan but I'll need help to make it work."

The chief sighed. The last time Nick had planned something big, it had brought down a mayor. Now it was to bring down a terrorist organization. Even before knowing what the vulpine's idea was, he knew he wouldn't like what he was about to hear.


	31. Sorry

My Hard Drive had a bit of a problem. It is probably broken.

I lost some data.

Two P&P RPG unfinished projects. One novella project. A shitload of personnal work.

And with it, the Tales of a Post Movie Zootopia fanfic.

I have a partial backup, and the next few chapters are already drafted in it, but I'm putting this fic on hiatus until either :

\- I recover the data.

\- I come the conclusion that I won't recover the data.

Either way, I'll finish this and publish to the end. It simply changes the workload and schedule.

But it means a pause for at least one week and probably up to three.

Sorry.


	32. This Plan Was Crazy

_**DISCLAIMER : The main name of this fic is going to be changed to 'A Better Place'. I'm informing you about it because I don't want you to have wonder where Tales of A Post Movie Zootopia had gone. I'll also give a different name to each part.**  
_

 _I'm not fully back yet. This chapter had been written with the draft I had as a backup from before the loss of my data. Don't worry, what I've lost should be fully recovered, but I wanted to post something for my faithful readers. And for the others too._

 _I don't know exactly when I'll post the next chapter, but you can expect it in less than two weeks._

 _By the way, I apologize if the quality isn't on par with what I've written until now, I'm afraid I've lost a bit of my touch._

 _ **Next chapter will be the last of Part 2** , and **I intend to do an something of an FAQ chapter afterward** if you're interested. So don't hesitate to ask anything either through PMs or reviews. It also mean I won't answer reviews to this chapter at the beginning of the next._

 _Now, for the reviews and messages from last chapter and the one before that._

 _First of all :_

 _ **BIG SHOUTOUT to x29ohat** , who tried to help me through the restoration of my data. Nothing could be done, but he deserves all the praise for having taken the time to try and help me. In the end, the Hard Drive went to a white room._

 _ **Cemsay :** I don't know if losing save files can really be compared to lose the produce of hard work, but I guess we share the same kind of frustration._

 _ **Fowlover91 :** Things should be salvages, as I said a few lines ago ^^ I appreciate the sympathy._  
 _EDIT : Fun fact : I was wrong, it was Swinton that was recycled as a guard at the end of the movie, not Honey. Honey was used as a doctor at the facility where the kidnapped mammals were kept. Selina was a bit gratuitous. I needed a character for the purpose she serves (the mechanic) and I wanted to make a Batman reference._  
 _An yeah, Bogo's life is faaaaaar from being peaceful._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 31 :** This Plan Was Crazy_

 _Monday the 8th of April 2019_

Dwane Rhinowtiz was nervous. It didn't happen really often, but when it did, it was because of something big. And oh yeah, it was big. He was driving the car containing Doug Ramses, the sheep that was about to be kidnapped. And Rhinowitz mission was to let it happen, but in a convincing way. But the rhino officer wasn't an actor. He was an officer. Oh sure, he had done a bit of theater in college, he had enjoyed it even, but he knew he wasn't good with facial expressions.  
And so, this rhino was driving a car, waiting for it to be stopped by two vans and guns to be pulled on him.

Rudin Snarlov was nervous. But he prefered thinking he was focused. In the back of Blackfur and Wolford's unmarked car, sitting next to officer Hopps, he was looking at the car in front of them. It was a few dozen meters ahead, going slowly on its way to its goal. He was focused, because in a few minutes, the car ahead would be attacked and one of its occupants kidnapped. And he felt he wasn't close enough to have his partner's back.

Wight Blackfur was nervous. It was a good thing she supposed, because it pulled her from the thoughts of her daugher's funerals. She knew she wouldn't get over it soon enough, but it really wasn't the time to think about it. At the very least, Wolford was the one driving. He was a better driver than she was, even thought the car was a bit big for him, and he needed to install a kit to have access to the pedals and steering wheel at the same time.

Augustyn Wolford was nervous. He was always nervous when mammals lives were at play. And right now, a whole lot of lives were at play. Not only his, or his colleagues, but a lot throughout the city. He knew that everywhere, vans loaded with drugged and armed mammals would appear. And he really hoped everyone would be okay.  
But he was also nervous for his partner. She hadn't been herself thos past few weeks. And even if he knew why, and that it was perfectly understandable, he wondered if she shouldn't just sit this one out.

Judith Laverne Hopps was nervous. She had convinced the chief to be in the car and he had accepted because the plan dictated that it would be parked a hundred meters away from the place where the vans would corner Rhinowitz's car. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to help, and in case of a fight near the car, she would be a liability. But she simply couldn't bear the thought to stay away from the action and to know her colleagues would risk their lives while she stayed safe. She would stay in the car and be on lookout in case the plan would go south. And she was certain it would, plans never survived contact with the enemy.

Doug Ramses wasn't nervous. He knew that he would soon be out of the city and away from his problems. He had never been a fan of Bellwether, and even if she payed well, he knew that mammals with ideals were lousy employers. They expected you to take part only because you believed in the cause. But Doug only believed in money and he hated to have to negociate for his pay.  
And now, he was leaving this cursed city thanks to a witness protection program. He had bought his freedom by selling the lamb and her allies. Best bargain ever. His ex-employer would soon be dead at the hands of those predators and he couldn't care less. If only this rhino could drive faster, the sooner he'd be away from the place, the better.

Adrian Bogo was nervous. Why on earth had he accepted for this foolish plan to be put into motion ? If anyone ever learnt about it, his career was over. To be honest, he knew why. It was Judy and Nick's plan. And the last time they had come up with a plan, a last minute one at that, they had saved the city. This time, they had back up, they had a half-dozen officers and they had experience. It could go smoothly. Or it could backfire and have him and all those involved lose their job, or worse, their lives. But it wasn't the worst thing. He didn't want to think about the worst thing.

Benjamin Clawhauser was nervous. From where he was, he could see the street where the car would be attacked. He was comfortably lying down on a sheet, the rifle was ready, all he had to do now was wait. And when the waiting would be over, all he'd have to do was shoot his targets. An engine and a couple of tires. Easy enough. The hard part would be to cover his colleagues during the firefight that would surely ensue. He had practiced shooting on moving targets before, he was good at it even. No, he wasn't good at it. He was one of the best and he knew it. And the chief knew it too, otherwise, he would never have accepted for him to be on the field.

Herold MacHorn was nervous. One could tell because there was a slight wrinkle on his forehead. He was coordinating the team through the street cameras from his office. It wasn't the first time he commanded a team, but never in those condition, in the heart of the city. All this screamed disaster. Civilians could be harmed or killed, Doug could be hit by a stray bullet. He had warned the chief, but the buffalo had decided to go with it anyway. It was a bold and imprudent move, one that the rhino wouldn't have done in the chief's stead. But he wasn't the chief, he was his second in command. And if the chief wouldn't listen to his advice, he would make damn sure everything would go smoothly.

Jack Savage wasn't nervous. He was used to be in the eye of the storm. Nick had prepared everything perfectly, and he could see every GPS trackers going around on his screen. And if he did, it meant every ZPD precinct in the city could too. So no, he wasn't nervous, if anything, he was a little annoyed. He wouldn't be able to partake in the festivities, but only follow them from the sidelines. And when Nick and his team would've gotten ahold of Doug, he would follow them. This was a good plan. Bold, risky, and probably crazy enough to work. So it was good. The fox was better at this than the buck had suspected at first.

Nicholas Piberius Wilde was nervous. He was scared. He was nearing panic. This plan was crazy.  
He had had the chief call Judy, Blackfur, Wolford, Rhinowitz, Snarlov, Clawhauser and MacHorn into a conference room. They had set up a call with him and Jack. He had his plan ready and explained it to them.  
Why all those mammals had been invited, was simple, they were the only ones that knew that Nick was undercover, and so they'd be the only one the they could really count on for Nick's plan to be a success.  
It couldn't work. His colleagues would be hurt. Doug would be killed, and everything would be his- A paw patted his shoulder and on his left, he saw the kid. It seemed the little vulpine had noticed his state. If only he really knew why he was nervous. It almost made him chuckle. But no. It was going to go smoothly. With the position he had earned as the chief mechanic, he had been able to place the GPS beacons in every single van, and as soon as they would stop, ZPD officer would spring on them and arrest every member of Lycus group. The only one that wouldn't be arrested were Skye's cell. They would take Doug and bring him to Lycus. And they would be the one to do so because the team that was supposed to do it in the first place wouldn't be able to.  
He was armed and ready.  
The party could begin.

The car was coming down the street at a deliberately slow pace. The driver didn't want to risk crashing in the van that would block his path. When it happened, he uselessly stomped the brake, to make it appear as he was surprised. He didn't take a hoof to his gun, but simply looked around the car to see what was happening.  
Behind him, a van stopped too, placing itself in a way that the car and van were back to back. He saw two masked foxes getting out of the van in front of him and two felines, a panther and a lion, getting out of the one in the back.

Behind him, the sheep bleated in fear.

"Take out your gun and throw it on the ground" came the voice of a fox, which the driver recognized as being Nick's. He executed the order as one of the felines opened the door near the sheep, which tried to flee through the one on the other side. Just as the Lion caught him, a loud gunshot was heard. Immediately, the attacker crouched on the ground. A second gunshot, and then a third was heard. Through his rear window, the rhino could see the van was now slightly lower, and that a black smoke was escaping from the hood. The engine was literally toast.

The Feline had perfectly aimed and shot three times. He had to keep himself from giggling in relief and remain focus. The risky part had now begun and his colleagues were about to face the enemy fire. From where he was, he could see everything perfectly.

Wolford and Blackfur were approaching on the right side of the street, crouching behind the parked car. On the left, Snarlov was making his way, tranq-gun in hand. In perfect coordination, they sprung out and as the third sniper bullet had landed, shouted "ZPD, put down your gun." As they all expected, the masked predator didn't comply, started aiming at them and unloading their bullets at them.

Alone on his side, Snarlov was pinned down. He looked under the car he was hiding behind and saw a fox take the sheep by the arm and shove him to the van in front of the car. Everything was going according to plan. He saw the lion approach his hiding spot and shot him in the leg. The tranquilizer wouldn't take effect immediately, so he took out his nine millimeter too, just in case. But as the feline was stepping on the curb, he staggered and fell flat on the ground.

Bullets were flying above and around Blackfur and Wolford's head. The wolf crept away from their hiding spot to flank the attackers. He gave a glance to the panda, she looked focused and ready to take out any mammal that would come around the car. What she didn't expect however, was for the panther to jump on the car. With horror, the wolf saw the feline take aim. A few meters away, he only had time to leap toward his colleague and shove her out of the panther's line of fire. The submachinegun screamed and a flail of bullet caught the canid in the chest. He was sent backward, unable to breath. His weapon had left his paw,. Though Blackfur had been pushed out of danger, she hadn't seen the wolf coming and she too had let her weapon escape her grasp . She could see the panther aim again at her colleague as she tried to get her gun out of its holster but she wouldn't have the time.

Just as the panther's finger was about to press the trigger, her head jerked to the side, a rain of blood, bones and gray matter splashed the panda who could only try and protect herself with her arms. In slow motion, the panther lifted a paw to the missing half of her face, made a step forward and stumbled from the car roof, hitting the pavement with a wet noise.

Blackfur ran to the wolf to check on his wounds.

"I'm – hhhh – alright – hhhh - " She looked at him and it was true, all bullets that had hit him had done so in his bulletproof vest. Chances were he had a couple of cracked ribs, but otherwise, he'd be okay. It was a good thing the panther was using a light caliber. She helped him crawl and sit his back against a nearby car and then looked around. It was chaos, the foxes had taken the sheep and were hauling him in their van at gunpoint while shooting randomly to keep their attacker from catching up to them.

Clawhauser had trouble breathing. He didn't want to think about what he had just done. Worse than pulling the trigger, the consequence of it was nauseating. He turned the scope away from the panther and back to the driver of the van. He wasn't here anymore. The door was open. Where was he ?  
Judy saw the van's driver door open. The masked wolf was running away from the scene. It seemed he had come to the conclusion that it was a set up, and was set on not being caught. For a few seconds, she pondered what she could do. Just as the wolf got past her car door, she kicked it to make it fly open. She had lost some muscle mass, but was still strong enough that the canid yelped, fell and let go of his weapon. She got out of the car, tranq-gun in one hand, crutch supporting her in the other.

"Lie down on the ground and put your paws behind your head."

Of course, he didn't comply. After all, she was a little bunny on a crutch with a tranq-gun. He lunged at her with bared claws and she let herself fall on her side, shooting two darts at him. The canid went crashing on the cruiser while the bunny recovered and stood back up. The two darts were embedded in the bullet-proof vest he was wearing. He lunged again, and instead of shooting him, she chose to use the crutch as a baton, rotating it to hit him. It caught his snout and though he fell again, so did the bunny because she didn't have support anymore. In her fall, she had time to unholster her more lethal option.  
"Lie down on the ground !" She shouted, lying on her belly, elbows to the ground for a more stable aim.

The wolf hesitated. She shot a warning shot just above his right ear. Immediately, he complied. She wouldn't be able to cuff him, but holding a mammal at gunpoint wasn't a task that required too much strength. She only hoped her colleagues were okay.

Nick had to fight himself to not go help his colleague when the shooting began. He opened the door and caught the sheep by the leg. Doug tried to kick him but the fox pulled him hard. Osman came to help him and they held the sheep, which ended up complying when he saw the gun barrels pointed at his snout.

"Plan B" said Nick's teammate and they brought him back to theirvan, shoving him inside, quickly restraining and blindfolding him. Plan B meant the other team was on its own and that they would bring the sheep to Lycus themselves. Everything was going according to plan. Now all he had to do was wait for Skye to drive them to the rendez-vous point since she was the only one to know the location. She had kept for herself all knowledge of where they would have to bring the sheep.

He recognized the road they were taking, it was leading to the northern parts of canal district. Finally they arrived to a point where there were more vegetation than buildings. The arctic fox parked the car in front of an abandoned building site and ordered them to bring the prisoner. Nick and Osman were holding him by an arm each, and they brought him inside the half-build construction, sitting him on the floor.

"What are we doing now ?" Asked Nick.

"We're waiting for some other mammals to come and pick him up." Her phone rang and she looked at it. "Holy shit !" she silently exclaimed. Being the only one close enough to hear her, Nick asked.

"What's happening ?"

"A text from Lucas. All the other teams, and I mean all of those on the field today, have been arrested. Lucas just sent me a text." She looked around nervously, like the ZPD could appear any moment.

Nick gritted his teeth. He had a decision to take. Either he could let them go and have them spend around a decade in jail, or he could help them get out of the city. It was true that they were responsible for some deaths, but they were young. And as he had thought before, in their place he would have done the exact same mistakes.

"While we're waiting, I'd like to ask you something. Did this team participate in the attacks on the city, when Bellwether was kidnapped ?"

"Yeah." The vixen looked at her feet. As the adrenaline from the kidnapping was wearing off and she realized what was happening to the other group, a pang of guilt had begun to creep aty the back of her mind.s

"Honestly, what do you think of letting loose armed and drugged mammals in the city simply to create a diversion ?"  
The arctic fox thought about it for a second before answering. "I think it was effective, but I think when all of this is over, and when we will have gotten rid the city of the pred-haters, we will have to pay for it."

"And do you think it's fair ?"

"Yes. Two bad don't make a good. It was a necessary evil, but if we get caught, I don't think what will happen to us will be completely undeserved."

"Then why did you partake in this ?"

"If that's the price to pay for our fellow predators to have a better life, I think may be worth it."

Nick reached into his shirt and discreetly shut off his wire, moving in a way that she would believe he was only scratching himself. She seemed to buy it. He then took out his phone a dialed a number.

"Lucas ? No time to explain, get out of the building, go to Mr Big and ask for his protection. Say Frank sent you. No questions, you do that right now." He hung up and turned back to Skye who was looking at him with a surprised expression. "Can I talk to you in private for five minutes ?" He took her by the shoulder and led her away enough from the others so that they couldn't hear them talk.

"What is it Frank ? What is happening ?"

Nick took an inspiration and took the dive. "I think this organization isn't what we believe it to be."

"What ?"

"Think about it for five minutes, You're working for a guy you've never seen the face of, going around and provoking chaos and suffering. You think you're fighting the pred-haters but you're only creating more of them ! I mean, right now, is the specism better or worse ? Do you have any family or other pred friends ? How are they faring ?" He saw the shock in her eyes and so he kept going. "Listen, I have contacts everywhere, and sometimes I can get my paws on stuff that I shoudln't. Look at this." He took out his smartphone and showed her the video. First he saw surprise and then worry in her eyes.

"What does it mean ? Nicholas Wilde has a brother ? And this sheep isn't Doug. What is Lycus doing ?"

"I think he wants to use Doug to work on the Nighthowler serum. Maybe tailor it in a different way, I don't know. What I know is this whether Lycus is or not Nick's brother, what do you think would happen if the public believed his brother was the reason of all this chaos and deaths ?"

She glanced at the phone and the grey fox that was holding it. "He would… He would lose all credibility as an officer. If there was an uproar, the mayor's office could cave in, and he could even lose his job as an officer."

"And it would be another proof that foxes can't be trusted. This guy on the video, Alexander, I know him. I met him around ten years ago, it was before I left the city. The guy was a drug addict, and I'm sure he doesn't have the brain to put in place such an operation. There is someone behind him, I'm sure of it. And the more I think about it, the less I'm convince they want what's best for the predators."

Skye froze with her mouth open for a few seconds. She blinked for a few time and punched herself on the forehead.

"Fuck ! Fuck ! That's so obvious. Why didn't I see that sooner ?"

"Because you are young and angry at this unfair society. You saw something that you believed could change things and you followed it."  
She made a few steps away, like she was lost. For a few second, Nick feared she wouldn't accept the bundle of truth and lies he had just served her.

"Fuck, we were so stupid. We need to get Doug and-"

"No. Take the others and get away. Were you supposed to get the van ?"

"No we were going to destroy it, why do you ask ?"

"Leave it. I'll need it. I'm going to let the people that want to take Doug take him and follow them wherever they're taking him."

"We could come with you. You could need help."

"Skye, listen to me. What you need to do right now is get the others somewhere safe. You're their leader, you're not supposed to put them at risk uselessly. I'll go do some recon and come back to you with intel, I promise. But if you all come, the risk to be spotted will be higher."

"But Frank-"

He took her paws and played his last card. "As of now, I'm not even sure of my theory about Lycus. I need to confirm it. And if we're to take him down, we'll need to be prepared, no to rush in like this, without a plan and without back up. I'll do recon, and I'll come back. I promise."  
The mask was in place. He hated to lie, and especially to make fake promises. It was a low he had never reached when he was a con-mammal. It was strange to go to a place he never wanted to just to do the right thing.

"Okay, you're right." She took a deep breath. "You're right. Be careful… Wait how are you going to follow them ? You'll be easy to spot with the van."  
Nick shook his phone. "I put a GPS tracker on the sheep. Crazy how cheap this kind of tech got those last few years."

She lifted a brow.

"I've had those suspicions for a while now, but I needed to be sure, or at least fairly sure, before talking to you about them. I like to be prepared for anything."  
He wasn't sure she would swallow the pill, but she did. It seemed her will to protect the others had gotten stronger than the one to follow her convictions. That, and one of Nick best skills was to look very convincing. They came back to the others and said nothing. She wanted for Doug to be away while she would explain the change of plan to her teammates. Soon a pair of masked foxes arrived in a brown car. They didn't say a thing but simply took away the sheep. He tried to resist but a punch to the snout and a gun in his back instantly calmed him. When they were gone, they went back to the van. As they were going to empty bottles of light fluid on the vehicle, Skye stopped them.

"We're leaving the van here. There is a change of plan, all the other teams were arrested by the ZPD. We're going to ask Mr Big for protection."

"What ?" Osman was the one that had talked. "Why ? Wouldn't we be safer at Vlad's ? He's the one we've worked with the most."

Nick glanced at Skye. The logic was sound, but Vlad was far from the safest option. And Nick wouldn't be able to keep an eye on them at Vlad's.

"Frank's name carries weight with Mr Big, or so he says, and I believe him. I can't force you to come, but I think it would be better for us all if we didn't separate. Now let's stop wasting time."

She began walking away.

"And what about Frank ?" Asked Michael.

"He has another mission. Now move." She ordered with more conviction,while she kept walking, soon followed by the others. Nick climbed in the driving seat and took out his phone, quickly dialing a number.

"Big's manor, Koslov speaking."

"Hey Koslov, it's Frank."

"Hello Frank, do you need something ?"

"Yep, I sent a bunch of foxes your way. They're going to say I sent them, which is true. Could you please hold on to them until I get back to you ?"

"You mean detain them. It will cost you a favor, you know that."

"I think they might have intel that could interest your boss. I can't do better right now, but I'll let your boss estimate how much it's worth. No violent interrogation. Are those acceptable terms ?"

"They are. Anything else ?"

"Yes. The large one is named Sean, he's a psycho and not to be trusted. I wouldn't mind if he ended up becoming a Popsicle."

"Noted."

"Great, have a nice day." And the fox hung up. He turned back on his wire and then launched the app that he could use to track the GPS beacon he had placed on the sheep while they were restraining him.

Just as he was about to start the car, the passenger door opened and closed. Nick turned while putting his paw to his gun, but it was only Michael.

"What the hell are you doing here ?"

"I'm not letting you go alone."

"What ?"

"Whatever you're going to do, it's going to be dangerous. You're not going alone."

The little vulpine put on the safety belt and crossed his arms. Nick sighed, he didn't have time to convince Michael to go away, but he didn't want to use violence either. If only he had a tranq-gun... He knew the kid could be discreet and keep a cool head in a dangerous situation. It wasn't ideal, but he could actually use the back up.

And among all the foxes in the group, Mike was the only one he really trusted.

"Alright. But you do exactly as I say. Don't take useless risk and you stay behind me."

"Okay. So what are we doing ?"

Nick sighed. He didn't want to feed the kid lies, but telling him the truth could have him risk turning on him. So he chose to tell what he could. "Like I said to Skye, I don't think Lycus wants what's best for us foxes. Look at this." He gave him the phone with the video. Nick had checked the general direction the tracker had taken, and when the shocked kid gave the phone back, they hadn't gone off course.

"What the hell ?"

"Yeah. I obtained that a few days ago."

"It doesn't make sense."

"No it doesn't, and I'm going to go and find out exactly what's what. There is too much incoherence in Lycus' actions and I intend to see and ask him exactly what he's doing. If he truly is the head of our organization. I know the guy on the video, and trust me, he's not bright enough to organize all this."

The kid frowned. "You mean, we may have been manipulated from the beginning ?"

"Yes, that's what I mean. You can get off if you want, I can do this alone."

"No, I want to know too. And I think you'll need all the help you can get."


	33. 32 And the World Went Dark

_I got my data back, 100% of it, and sooner than I thought._

 _We're back to our usual pace._

* * *

 _ **Chapter 32 :** And the World Went Dark_

 _Monday the 8th of April 2018_

The tracker was pretty easy to follow. The car in which Doug was, was only a few kilometers ahead of them. It had gone east, and remained in the meadowlands. Only a dozen minutes later, it had stopped near what looked like an abandoned site. Nick parked a couple hundreds meters away, behind bushes, hoping the van couldn't be seen from where they were going. Him and the kid made their way, wary of their surroundings and looking everywhere. The place was surrounded by barb-wired fences, but they could probably be lifted. It was an old predator themed amusement park. Nick was sure he had seen photographs of it before but he couldn't remember when or where. Before entering, the older fox looked at the sign above the closed gate. Some letter had fallen, the only ones remaining spelled 'W...de ...imes'. He had no time to think about it. He raised the wire-fence and helped the kid get through and followed him. Crouching while trotting toward the building, Nick looked at the place. It was full of old and dilapidated attractions. There was a little road that went from the gates to the main building and one could see multiple recent tire tracks.

There was no security camera or mammal on lookout. To be honest the place looked pretty inconspicuous, and it was better to not advertise presence than to have to protect a place.

Both of the foxes arrived near the building. The tire tracks were going around and they followed them, they stopped in front of a large garage door. The paws and hooves print made it clear that the sheep had been taken out of the car and pushed inside. It seemed the car had then left. Nick looked at his phone screen. The GPS tracker was near, but it wasn't precise enough for the fox to define where Doug was exactly. Near the garage door was a service door. Nick approached it and tried to open it as silently as he could, but it was locked. He made a sign to the kid to be on lookout. Using his lock-picking kit, he began working and a few seconds later the door was open. Nick entered and closed the door behind the kid. It was an old storage place. Contrary to what Nick was expecting, it was clean. There was dust, but not enough to make him believe the place wasn't used. There were multiple crates and also a car, but not the same the two foxes that had brought Doug had used. Nick approached the car and took out his knife piercing three tires. The kid glanced at him. "Whoever is here, I don't want them escaping." whispered the fox. The younger fox nodded.

They were about to go when they hear the sound of an engine. They only had time to dive behind crates when the door he had unlocked before opened and a silhouette entered. He couldn't see their faces but what got out made Nick frown. The newcomer was wearing a ZPD uniform and had their gun in hand. The officer made a few steps and flicked a switch Nick hadn't seen when coming him, immediately, the lights went on. At last Nick recognized the newcomer. It was FitzAntlers. She was looking around suspiciously. Was it back up ? It didn't make any sense, Nick wondered why she was alone. Relieved that the newcomer was an ally, he holstered his gun. "Stay behind me." He whispered to the kid while leaving his hiding place.

"Hey Fitz, I didn't think they'd send you." Nick glanced at the kid who was looking at him with surprise, but he followed the older fox, gun still in hand.  
The deer had jump at the voice and turned to Nick, her gun pointed at him. She squinted and the open her eyes with surprise. "Nick ? Is that you ?"

 _I guess, my cover doesn't matter anymore._

"Yeah that's me. Would you mind aiming elsewhere and help me search this place ?"

The deer seemed to hesitate. She squinted her eyes again and that was at that moment that Nick finally put a finger on something that had been stuck at the back of his mind. Lycus had a knowledge of the witness protection's car itinerary. In the plan's preparation, no one had asked from where Lycus had gotten the information. Clawhauser was the officer in the ZPD supervising the witness protection program on behalf of the chief, and who else had access to that computer when the feline was off-duty ? Of course, there was a password to access his data on the server, but installing a physical keylogger on a computer was child's play.

He saw the resolve in the doe's eyes before she pulled the trigger. His paw went to his holster and he felt himself being pushed to the side. Four detonations echoed in the garage, dust flew around, disturbed by the vibration. Nick hit the floor hard, a burning pain in his left arm, but had gotten the time to unholster his weapon in his fall. FitzAntler had fallen on one knee, a hoof on the floor, the other still holding her gun, trying to aim again. It seemed the kid had had the time to put a bullet in her bulletproof vest.

"Drop the gun." Nick shouted with no effect. Out of breath, the doe was trying to aim again. He raised his gun and shot two times. Red beads flew as his oppenant fell backwards, letting go of her gun. He heard gurgling noise as he stood back up. She had put her hooves to her throat, from which blood flowed out.  
She's toast.

Nick lowered his gun and glanced at his left arm. Blood was dripping from it and it was painful, but it wasn't a life threatening wound.

"Thanks kid. You saved my skin." He turned to see a slumped silhouette on the floor. "Kid ?" Immediately, he let himself fall near the wounded young fox.

"We're – we're even now."

"Shut up. Let me see your wounds." Nick took the kid's arms with his valid paw and put them away. There were three bullet holes in his torso. Nick felt the blood leave his face. This was bad, Michael was already coughing blood. At least one lung had been hit.

"You're N-Nick Wilde." The kid had a fit of cough, which made him spit blood on Nick's shirt.

"I am. I'm here. Now don't move, I need to-"

The kid's paw reached for Nick's sleeve and grabbed it. "Hey F-Nick. C-can you do me a-"

"I'll do anything you want. Please don't move I'll try to make a bandage." But Nick could see it was completely useless. Even if he could use both his paws, there was nothing he could do patch up the kid in time. He wouldn't be able to stop the blood that was spilling from his friend. The lung wound on itself would kill him too fast for any help to come in time, and it wasn't the only one Mike's body had sustained.

"Tell m-my- Tell her she was th-the best... Tell- I'm glad she was my s-sister."

Nick took the kid in his arms. It was all he could do now, to try and reassure him before he passed. A strange feeling of deja-vu washed over-him.

"I'll tell her. I'm sure she's glad to be your sister too. Anyone would be proud to have you as a brother."

"Th-thanks." The kid coughed blood again and Nick felt a tear rolling down his cheek. He choked down the sob that was growing in his chest. "Hey N-Nick. I-I'm cold."

"Sorry. I'm sorry."

"I'm sca-scared."

"Yeah me too." Half-joked Nick. The kid gave a chuckle that turned into another fit of bloody cough.

"Y-you won't be able to c-carry me this time." He smiled darkly, the blood running out of his mouth.

He tightened his grip on the kid's shoulder. "Why didn't you stay behind me ?"

"I t-told you before, you're not my d-dad." He swallowed hard, trying to take the words out. "B-but you w-would have been a-a hell of a big broth-" His paw let go of

Nick's sleeve and his body went limp. This time the grey fox couldn't keep in the sob. Jaws clenched, he kept the scream inside and turned it into a growl. He wanted to cry, he wanted to let go.

He had a job to finish.

He put the kid on the floor and closed his eyes. He then put his vest on Mike's face. The kid's gun was at his side and he took it, putting it inside his belt, in his back. He went back to Fitz-Antlers who was still holding her hooves to her throat. Her blood was flowing more slowly than the kid's. He looked down at her face and he saw her eyes filled with fear and tears. For a few seconds he considered leaving her in that state, in the last moments of her agony. Instead he aimed at her face as she lifted a pleading hoof, blood flowing a little quicker.

"Goddam traitor."

A last detonation was heard in the large room.

The wounded fox tore his sleeve at the shoulder with his knife and pulled the dead cop's belt. He used it with the piece of cloth to make a makeshift arm sling.  
He took the doe's gun and stored in his empty holster.

Leaving the garage, he found a long dark hallway and advanced slowly, gun in one paw, ready to shoot at anything that could jump out of the shadows. He arrived at another large room filled with science equipment. Basically everything that could be useful to handle chemicals and create drugs. Nick looked up, there were railings above the room, anyone could see him from here, but if he could get there, he'd have a significant tactical advantage. He'd have to be careful. By now, with the sound of the firefight, he was sure everyone in the building knew someone was there.

Looking for a way to get up, he found another closed door. He put his ear against it and heard a faint voice. If someone was on the other side, maybe he could surprise them by bursting in, but with his arm like it was, there was no way he could manage it. He took a deep breath and opened it slowly. The chatter was still undiscernable, but a bit louder. He entered a sort of long storing unit which seemed to have been repurposed as a bunch of holding cell. The first ones were empty but he finally found one that was occupied. He risked an eye and saw something that looked more like an office than a holding cell. The occupant was a red fox, babbling alone in a worn and unkept suit. Nick recognized Alexander. The fox seemed to be talking with someone that wasn't there, writing stuff in a notebook.

If Alexander was a prisoner, it confirmed his suspicions, someone else was pulling the strings and he had to find them first. Nick discreetly pushed farther, but he was the only one occupying a cell. Doug wasn't a prisoner, or if he was, he was locked in elsewhere.

The hallway didn't seem to go anywhere and Nick didn't want to risk the fox to alert whoever else was here from his location. He slowly made his way back to the room he came from.

Just as he set a foot in, the lights were turned on.

"Throw down your weapon, fox." The light had slightly blinded him but he could see the silhouettes of the mammals that were threatening him. Two in front of him and two on the rail-way on his left and his right. "Throw down your gun ! Last warning."

Every cell in his brain screamed against the order. He wanted to shoot at the silhouette, empty his gun at them. Kill them. Michael was dead because of them, he deserved justice.

He took a deep breath.

And threw down his gun.

If I attack now, I'll get killed. I need to stay alive to find the real Lycus, and to make him pay. Let's play it smart.

"The one in the holster too."

He gritted his teeth but did what he was asked and threw the second gun.

"Turn around."

He executed the order.

"Throw down this gun too."

Really slowly, he took the last gun between two fingers threw it too.

Nick heard a loud clank and saw a ladder slide down from the railing. A little silhouette was going down. Now that his vision had adapted to the brightness, Nick could see the ones that were threatening him. There were two sheeps and two deers. The last small silhouette that had now reached ground level was a lamb, wearing a pink tailor suit.

 _Bellwether. Of. Fucking. Course._

Nick decided to play dumb. "You're Bellwether ? Wha- I don't understand !"

The little lamb giggled happily.

"Of course you don't. Well it was only a matter of time before one of you found this place. Glad we caught you, we won't have to relocate." She looked at him curiously and squinted her eyes. "It's you !"

The fox's mouth felt dry. He was screwed.

"Oh, it's too good ! You were the one that refused to shoot that kid... Mark ? Mike ? It's unimportant." Nick stopped the growl that was coming from his throat. Antagonizing her wasn't the right thing to do at the moment. "You're that Frank guy ! You need to know this : you were hilarious. Acting all noble, giving a second chance to a fox... By the gods, I had to watch it again to believe it !" Her smile turned into a scowl. "You pelts don't deserve a second chance. You only deserve what's coming to you."

Nick had to keep himself from chuckling. She hadn't recognized him.

"I hope you appreciate the irony of all this. You know where we are I presume."

"Not really."

The lamb giggled. "You don't ?"

Nick shook his head.

"Do you know who Nicholas Wilde is ? Of course, you do. He's probably some sort of hero to you, you nosy little vulpine. Well, this place belonged to his great-great-uncle. Wilde Times, it was called. No one remembers it, because it wasn't really something important to begin with. Do you know what kind of place it was ?"  
Nick knew of the amusement park. It was a story his mother had told him when he was young. The great-uncle Wilde was a strange fox that liked to invent and build things. The park had been his life-long work, but it had never been popular enough to remain open.

She was walking back and forth slowly with a little smile, a hoof running on the science table.

"An amusement park ?"

"Bingo ! Aimed at predators." It was faint, but in her mouth, the word sounded like an insult. "So they could express all their instincts. Hunting, clawing, biting, howling..." A scowl had appeared on her face but it quickly went back to its joyful expression. "So, yes it's ironic, or fitting, depending on how you look at it, that I'm using it to do what I do."

"You do..? But aren't you..." Nick put on a mask of incomprehension.

"You're nosy, but you're not very bright, are you ? You only wanted to meet Lycus, I bet."

"Well, huh, yeah."

The lamb gave a wide smile, it looked maternal but Nick could see it was full of condescending pity.

"Well, I suppose I can educate you a bit. After all, it's not like you were going to get out anyway."

Nick glanced at the gun wielding preys. Two of them raised their gaze to the ceiling with an annoyed and bored expression.

 _And you so love to hear yourself talk._

"I am Lycus."

Nick gasped in fake surprise. The lamb giggled again and took a bouncy step to face Nick.

"You- Bellwether is Lycus ? It doesn't make any sense !"

And the academy award for best actor goes to...

"Or does it ? You saw the fox in the cell, he's the one that played the role in the video. He's drugged out of his mind, even if I doubt he really needed the drugs to believe the lies we fed him to begin with. Oh if you could see your face, I'm so glad at least one of you made it here. This is too good ! You even killed my ZPD mole, they'll make a hero out of her, and another nail in the foxes' coffin."

"Mole ? What ? She wasn't here to arrest Lycus ?"

"This officer... what was her name again ?" She asked to one of her henchmammal.

"FitzAntlers."

"Yes. That's it. It's sad that she's dead, she helped us a lot. At least, she gets to keep helping us. Anyway, I'm Lycus, and I hired a bunch of foxes to create chaos in the city, and do you know why ?"

Nick shook his head. He had trouble to keep himself from grinning. She was giving him everything again. Guess one would do the same mistake twice. She had going for her that Nick's disguise was good, and that, after all, he was a great actor.

"Simple. Create chaos, blame the foxes, and get them all arrested or cast out from the city, or even better, keep them and shun them. Young mammals are so easy to manipulate, you know ? They're idealist, rebellious... Give them a cause and they'll do anything for you. Rinse and repeat with other predator species and we'll be rid of this city's cancer."

At that Nick frowned and growled.

"Here's my savage predator. But none of that if you don't want to end up ridden with holes. After all, I don't have to kill you, I need experiment subjects for my new formula."

Nick's eyes widened. "New formula ?"

"Of course. The Nighthowler was good, but we can do better. Something undetectable to target only predators. Maybe even in gas form. I even captured back my chemist, now it's only a matter of time before... But I'm digressing, and you'll see for yourself later. I want to talk more about Nicholas Wilde."  
At first Nick had feared he'd need to think to buy time for back up to arrive, but not only was she giving away all of her plan, but she was losing the time she didn't know she lacked. Just as he had this thought, he saw Jack appear on the railway behind one the henchmen. He took aim to the mammals head and silently formulated a sentence. "Whenever you're ready."

"What does he have to do with this ?" Asked Nick with true interest in his voice.

"What does he- Everything you stupid fox ! He tricked me last time and this is the icing on the cake. I'm going to destroy his name. I'm going to make it so he'll have to leave the ZPD. And he's stuck in a coma, he won't even be able to defend himself. And when I'll be finished with him, it will be Judy's turn. She betrayed us prey, and she will pay for it."

The lamb had closed her fists and her hooves were shaking but she calmed herself, turning back to the fox.

"I'll have a TV brought to your cell, so you'll be able to see my surprise go live tonight. I can't wait to see your face. This is going to be so perfect !"

"What are you going to do ? Make the predators go savage ?"

The lamb was about to answer but she heard the muffled gunfire of Jack's silenced gun, and the sound of a body hit the metal railing. Immediately, every mammal turned to the location of the bunny who jumped aside and above the railing, while shooting several bullets in the direction of his attackers. Nick leaped to his gun and rolled, his broken arm hit the floor, sending spikes of pain in his brain, but he caught his weapon and got up, ready to fire. He shot the other mammal on the railway who fell from his perch with a scream, cut short by a crack as he hit the floor. Bullets were flying around and Nick saw the lamb take shelter under a table.

Jack leaped from the table where he had landed and kicked a sheep in the face. As his enemy was falling backwards, he put two bullets in his forehead. Unfazed by the blood that splattered his paw, he rolled on the floor and skidded between the leg off the last attacker. He emptied the remaining bullet in his back while standing back up in a smooth motion, reloading his weapon.

The lamb had retrieved one of the gun Nick had thrown away and was aiming alternatively at the two of them.

"Bellwether, put the gun down." Ordered the buck.

"What ? Who are you ?" She asked in a shaking voice.

"Put the gun down and I guarantee your safety."

"What ?"

He took out a plaque from under his vest. "I'm ZIA. Put down the gun."

"Her safety ?" Asked Nick with a growl in his voice.

The lamb made a step back and aimed at the fox.

"You guarantee her safety ? I'm not letting her leave this room." The vulpine's voice was way too calm in Jack's opinion.

"She needs to live. We need to interrogate her."

The lamb turned and aimed at the bunny, taking a second step back.

"No. She wounded Judy, mammals died because of her." Nick frowned and slowly exhaled. "Mike died because of her."

"Nick, stand down. This is ZIA business. We need her alive."

"Nick ? You're Nick Wilde ?" The gun shook in the lamb's hooves, she turned it back to the fox.

"Yes I am." He smiled. "I got you." He stepped toward her. " Twice." The lamb took another frightened step back. "And there won't be a third time."

"Don't come any closer."

"Nick, stand down or-"

Nick glanced at the bunny, which was now aiming at him. "Or what ? you'll shoot me just so you can interrogate her ? And then what ? You'll let her escape again ?"

"We're the ZIA, she'll never see the light of day again. Trust me Nick, we need her alive."

"I don't care ! She's too dangerous. She put the city at risk two times. I'm ending this now." His voice was resolute, and the bunny understood that he wouldn't wait another second.

"Nick, Stand down !"

"I'm not letting you lock me in again !" Hysterically shouted the lamb in a fit of panic.

"No, Don't-"

Multiple gunshots came from every direction.  
A big bright light filled his field of vision.

And the world went dark.

 _The End_

 _Of Part Two_

* * *

 _Like for part one, **I'll post a new chapter when I'll put up Part 3** , with answers with the reviews and any question you might have (which wouldn't spoil Part 3 of course)._

 _In the meantime, I'd really appreciate your opinion on Part 2 :)_

 _Special thanks to **Foxlover91** , **Fox in the hen house** , **bsmith1138** , **Robert Escher,** **Saforite154** , **Ely** , **Fluttershy99** , **Rys** , **jamdea** , **asbadmcflash** , **cemsay** , **isteelsolz** and **x29ohat** for having taken the time to either leave a review or send a message, it means a lot to me, and feedback is always appreciated._


	34. Part 3 is Out

Part 3 is OUT ! Go check it out !

Or don't, it your life.

Review time :

 **Lord of Hentais** (love your nickname BTW) : Yeah, I'm still learning the english language, I dare believe my level is good, but since it's not my first language, I still make mistakes. If you see reccuring errors, either grammatical or ona story telling point of view, don't hesitate to point them out, it would really help a lot.  
Mike's fate was sealed the moment I created him. Though I think it was obvious enough, he was really a call back to Nick's own life. I almost reverted my position on his fate in the last chapter, but I'm sure you can guess why I didn't. To be honest, it's one of the hardest scene I wrote.  
An yes, I have a fetish for cliffhangers. It's one of the best thing about writing : making people hate you and still come back for more :D

 **Foxlover91** : The hardest part about writing them was to not cram too much stuff into them. They almost were three longer chapters but the pace was all over the place. And given that I felt like I had stretched the other chapters, picking up the pace seemed like a good idea.  
Since the first chapter of Part 3 is out, you'll actually have the first glimpse of the consequences right there. And what happened to Lycus too. I almost put her fate onscreen, but then it was less interesting. Sorry if it's frustrating, but trust me when I say it wasn't the primary reason why I wrote it that way.  
Thanks for your support :)

 **victor04** : Yeah, Mike was honestly my best OC, broke my heart to see him go. You can rest easy, next part will be lighter on suspens.

And one last thing :

 **Requests !**

If there are some characters or plotlines you wish to know about or see resolved, don't hesitate to ask. Though Part 3 won't be the last one, there are things that I may have forgotten, and I'd hate to leave you with something too frustrating.


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